


Anything Can Change: Season 2

by Username1_4



Series: Anything Can Change [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adrien focused season, Adrien is a closet goblin, Bamf marinette, Chloè redemption, Complete rewrite, Everyone is older, F/F, F/M, M/M, New Miraculous Lore, There's more ships but they're a secret, We love character progression in this house, What if Miraculous Was Better, reverse love square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 121,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Username1_4/pseuds/Username1_4
Summary: Adrien had been Cat Noir for six months. All of Paris now knows the Makara are created by a mysterious person they've named Pisces, and the Akuma are made by Hawkmoth. While he and Ladybug have gotten better at defeating the Akuma, the Makara are only getting more powerful. They need to figure out who is making them, and soon. On top of that, the guardian of the Miraculous has tasked Adrien with an important task: figure out who Ladybug is.Gabriel becomes close to desperate in his search for his wife. This desperation leads to increased distance from his son, which Marinette Dupain-Cheng does not appreciate at all.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Anything Can Change [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826563
Comments: 40
Kudos: 41





	1. The Mission: Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien feels self-conscious as Ladybug's partner. Cat Noir is given a mission.

Hey my people! Since spring is just around the corner, I wanted to try out a fresh idea I’ve had circling around my brain for a while. I’ll take the ten highest viewed or commented on things on the blog (videos, pictures, posts, etc.) and feature them in a highlight page. Let me know if you like the idea, or even if you hate it, and stay safe!

Highlights of this month:

1) Ladybug being badass for seven minutes straight (video)  
2) Ladybug and Cat Noir purify the last of the Akuma in the hospital (blog post)  
3) Exclusive interview with Ladybug, by your girl Alya Cesaire! (video/blog post)  
4) Ladybug looks through rubble for survivors (image)  
5) Ladybug single-handedly handles a Makara! (video)  
6) Do Ladybug and Cat Noir know each other out of costume? (blog post)  
7) Cat Noir discovers new power? Staff can now split into two! (video)  
8) Ladybug saves three inattentive police officers. (video)  
9) Cat Noir looks absolutely adorable as he comforts a six year old Akuma victim (image)  
10) Cat Noir faints, caught by Ladybug (image)

* * *

Adrien pulled his staff apart. He planted one half in the ground, extending it, and held the other at the ready. His hair stuck to his face and neck, drenched in sweat. Spring wasn’t supposed to start for another couple of weeks, but no one had bothered to inform the weather. After a particularly biting winter, the sudden spike in temperature affected Adrien more than it usually would.

He extended the other half of his staff and aimed it at the Makara’s eye. He saw Ladybug by its legs, keeping it still. She glanced up at him and yelled a warning. Too late. The Akuma had already snuck up on him and knocked him away.

One half of the baton was knocked out of his hand, but he held onto the half anchoring him to the ground. He’d gotten so cautious lately, but he couldn’t do much about it. After he’d almost died a couple times two months ago, he couldn’t enter a battle with the same confidence as before. It felt like he was closing in on himself, devolving, while Ladybug continued to mature and grow.

She was no longer the rude, stubborn, clumsy girl he’d met six months ago; now she was rude, stubborn, and extremely competent. It was great having a partner he could rely on; he was truly happy for her--all the notoriety she got online was well earned. He just wished he could hold up his end of the partnership. It seemed that the more she grew, the less worthy Adrien seemed.

This Makara was a perfect example. It had an elephant trunk, seal body, and stone-like head. Most importantly, it oozed silvery liquid. Once upon a time, the liquid had influenced him and Ladybug equally. As the months had crawled on, though, Ladybug had slowly become more and more immune. Though Adrien himself was also less affected, he still felt embarrassed standing next to the completely unaffected Ladybug.

The Makara reached back with its trunk, breathed in, and blasted Adrien with a trunk-full of silver liquid. His teeth immediately began chattering, bones aching with the cold. The sweat running from his head down his back froze where they were. Adrien took a gasping breath, but the liquid was still spraying at him. He tried to turn away, to shorten his baton, but the stream of liquid was too strong. His grip on his baton loosened completely, and he found himself flung through the air.

A trusty red yo-yo sailed through the air towards him, wrapping around his waist. He was so used to this by now that when Ladybug jerked him in the opposite direction, the whiplash neither surprised him nor affected him. She swung him around, but something must have happened, because she let go too soon. He was once again tossed in the air, but this time he was heading straight towards the window of an apartment. He closed his eyes, guarded his face, and waited for the inevitable.

The glass shattered around him, and Adrien landed with a thump on the floor of the apartment. He got up. He was unable to keep the disgusted look off his face as the carpet stuck to him. The entire apartment was dark, so he couldn’t really see what made the floor so sticky, but from the smell in the air, he could hazard a guess: beer.

 _“I’d stay here for a second if I were you,”_ Plagg said.

“What, so even you think I’m more useful out of the fight than in it?” Adrien grumbled. He lifted one foot, gagging as the carpet clung to the bottom of his shoe.

_“No, I believe he was referring to the Master.”_

Adrien jumped back. “Who said that!”

 _“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you!”_ A tiny green object flew through the air, stopping in front of Adrien’s face. It was like a turtle, but it was flying, and if it was on the ground it would be standing on two legs like a human. It was a kwami.

“We have another partner?” Adrien asked. “Where? Why isn’t he out there with us, fighting whenever there’s a Makara or Akuma attacking Paris? Ladybug and I need help!”

 _“Ah,”_ The turtle looked vaguely uncomfortable. _“My name is Wayzz. I am the Master’s kwami. As for your questions…”_

“What the hell is wrong with you kids?” A vaguely familiar old man stumbled over from somewhere in the apartment. Wayzz flew off and Adrien heard him try to turn on the lights. He sighed, but the old man didn’t give a shit, apparently. “Is it now polite to break into others’ apartments?”

_“Master, you forgot to pay the electricity bill again.”_

“I thought the girl was bad,” the old man shuffled around, rooting through piles of empty old pizza boxes. “At least she didn’t break my window!”

_“Master, aren’t you going to greet the Black Cat?”_

“I’m too sober for this,” the old man growled. “Go get me a beer!”

_“Master, there is a Makara attack in progress. Shouldn’t you talk to the Black Cat? Ladybug is still--”_

“Ladybug!” The old man whirled around, like he thought she was in his apartment. Adrien inched closer to the door.

“I’m sorry about breaking your window,” he said cautiously. The old man kept mumbling about rude kids and stupid wenches. “I’ll be sure to pay you back. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Hold it!” he barked, and Plagg told Adrien to stop moving. The old man studied Adrien. “You know who Ladybug is?”

“Why would I tell you?”

“Didn’t Wayzz tell you anything?” The old man narrowed his eyes in impatience. “I’m the Master. I’m the one who holds the Miraculous. I gave you and Ladybug your Miraculous--you owe your powers to me.”

“Wait, does that mean--”

 _“No,”_ Wayzz was an immortal turtle which didn’t need sleep, but he somehow looked exhausted at that moment. “ _We don’t know who Hawkmoth or Pisces are. Don’t question it. Please.”_

“Why would you need to ask me who Ladybug is?” Adrien asked, crossing his arms. “If you’re really the Master who gave us the Miraculous, wouldn’t you know who we are?”

“Brat, that’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard,” the old man puttered to another room. Adrien shifted. He had a feeling he was supposed to follow the old man, but he really didn’t want to go any further into the disgusting apartment. There were a few crashing sounds in the room, and Adrien figured it was a kitchen. “Of course I don’t remember who you are. So tell me, what’s your name, and who is Ladybug?”

“Why would I tell you?”

 _“Just listen to him, Kid,”_ Plagg said. _“He might not have power over you, but his commands are the only things a kwami is forced to listen to. If you don’t answer him, it’ll affect me, and I’ll give you a fake tail in the costume.”_

Adrien’s heart stopped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

_“Try me.”_

“You fiend,” he whispered to Plagg. Plagg only cackled in response. Adrien turned to the old man. “I’m Adrien Agreste,” he said glumly. He had never wanted to leave an apartment more than he did right at this moment. “And I have no clue who Ladybug is. Can’t you just ask her yourself?”

“No,” the old man grumbled. “She hasn’t been back since last time.”

“Shocking,” Adrien mumbled.

“Wench.”

“You’ve got everything you needed, right?” Adrien moved towards the door again. “I’ve got to go.” The old man shook his head. At the threat of a useless tail on his already stupid costume, Adrien froze instantly.

“This is a problem,” the old man said. “If I don’t figure out who she is, Wayzz will never leave me alone.”

 _“You shouldn’t be concerned about her identity because of me!”_ the little turtle protested. _“You should care because you need to keep all the Miraculous holders accountable, and you need to be able to--”_

“You see?” The old man shook his head, but it messed with his balance enough to send him to the ground. Adrien watched as he tried and failed to stand for a few minutes before he eventually gave up and just lay on the ground. “Anyway, find out who she is. Let me know when you find out.”

The old man waved him away, and Adrien didn’t hesitate even half of an instant before leaving. He ran through the streets, picked up the half of his baton he dropped, then vaulted himself across Paris. He moved as quickly as he could, trying to catch up to the Akuma and the Makara so he could help Ladybug.

He was too late. He slowed his approach. The air smelled fresh, like a recently cleaned bathroom, and the path of destruction ended. He dropped down next to Ladybug. She was panting, but standing tall and proud. An Akuma was on the ground, tied with her yo-yo, and she had her foot planted on its back, keeping it from escaping.

“Cat Noir!” Ladybug greeted with an excited smile. “Just in time, we need you!” He felt worse than ever before. He should have been there for her; instead, he’d been stuck in a disgusting apartment talking to the master of the miraculous. He was completely useless.

“Cataclysm,” he mumbled, destroying the Akuma’s backpack. He went through the motions of taking care after the attack. Unlike Ladybug, he transformed back into civilian form fourteen minutes after using his power. She helped round up a few scattered officers and then headed off, exhausted. Cat Noir sat next to the victim and helped calm them down, comforting them and handing them to the police to process at the police station. Then he went home.

* * *

The weekend passed by as slowly as it always did. Adrien was carted from photo shoots to remedial fencing lessons to aestheticians. He’d convinced Natalie months ago to get rid of tutoring sessions on weekends, so at least there was that small blessing. He started and finished a few books and started playing a new video game, but other than that, there really wasn’t much of note. He avoided the Ladyblog; he could practically feel the citizens’ laughter at him. Not that he blamed them, but lately those that left comments on the Ladyblog thought less and less of Cat Noir. Though he could see where they were coming from, it still hurt. He was doing his best; he couldn’t really help it that Ladybug’s best was better than his.

 _“Oh my God,”_ Plagg flopped dramatically on his back. His glowing eyes narrowed into slits, pouting at Adrien. _“Just spit it out already, why don’t you? You’ve been sighing and staring at the wall for the last half hour. It’s getting pathetic.”_

And wasn’t that just the crux of it all? He was pathetic. He should have given up the Miraculous months ago, when he’d started feeling unsuited as a hero.

“I’m useless,” Adrien said. He knew from months of living with him that it was useless to hide anything from Plagg. He reluctantly pulled up the Ladyblog, to show Plagg exactly what he was talking about. “I’m about as useful as my powers. When it comes to purifying the Akuma, I’m necessary, and sometimes I distract the Makara while Ladybug subdues the Akuma. But realistically, anyone could do that--even the police.”

 _“I have no clue what you’re talking about,”_ Plagg rolled over onto his belly and stretched his paws in front of him. Adrien smiled despite his bleak mood. Damnit, but Plagg was so cute. _“Your powers are just as powerful as you want them to be.”_

“Look at this,” Adrien pulled his laptop in front of the kwami. “This video is exactly what I’m talking about. Ladybug held off the Makara while I tried to go after the Akuma, but my staff’s only useful for hand to hand combat. I’m not like her; I can’t do this long-distance stuff.” Adrien sat back and closed his eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to be compared to her? Her yo-yo makes her so good at long-distance combat, but she somehow also known kung-fu? That’s just unfair!”

 _“Like I said,”_ Plagg arched his back and plopped on Adrien’s chest, spinning into a circle then settling down. _“Your powers are just what you want them to be. Ladybug got those new powers because she wanted them. If you feel useless, then become useful.”_

“That’s the least helpful piece of advice I’ve ever gotten,” Adrien complained. Plagg started purring.

_“Alright, I’ll put it this way: there’s nothing in the way of you getting more useful than yourself. Better?”_

“You’re so abstract, it’s annoying.”

Plagg grumbled a bit, then turned so he was no longer facing Adrien. His purring intensified, which meant he didn’t feel like talking anymore. Adrien turned on his side, and Plagg fell to the floor. He shot up, hissing at him. Adrien pretended to sleep. Plagg stalked off, huffing about moody teenagers.

* * *

Monday morning started as usual. Chloe and Marinette walked in together. Marinette sat next to Alya, Chloe sat at a desk alone. Adrien hadn’t seen much of Sabrina lately. He’d told Chloe that she was a bad influence, but he hadn’t wanted her to totally get rid of her. He’d have to ask Chloe if she’d hired a hitman, or just pressured Sabrina to leave by using her father’s position as mayor of the city or something.

Class went by as usual. The lesson went slowly, and Adrien used it as review. Nino kept sliding him notes, and every once in a while he’d help him with the actual work. Of course, it was when Adrien was helping Nino with a problem that the teacher, Mrs. Mendeleiv, tried to call them out.

“What exactly is so interesting that you’re talking over my lecture?”

“I’m just helping Nino with something he didn’t understand.”

“If Mr. Lahiffe has a question, he can ask me himself. I’m sick of you millennials lying to cover for yourselves!”

“Technically,” Max piped up, “We’re not millennials. We’re actually Gen Z, I believe.”

“Also,” Nathaniel added to the conversation, “You’re about as approachable as a dinosaur.” He paused and put a thoughtful finger on his chin. “Interestingly enough, you look about as old as one, too.”

“Mr. Kurtzberg!” Mrs. Mendeleiv screeched, face red, “Pri--”

“Just Nathaniel, please,” he interrupted. “Mr. Kurtzberg is my father.”

“Principal’s office!” She trembled with rage. “Walk with me. Now!”

Nathaniel stood up, saluted the class, and sauntered to the front of the room. Mrs. Mendeleiv pulled the door open with the force of a tyrannosaurus rex and stomped down the hall. The class started talking as soon as he left. No one paid attention to the lecture Mrs. Mendeleiv was shouting at their red-headed savior. They’d given up after eavesdropping the first few times; it was always the same: disruptive, blah blah, disrespectful, yada yada. It got boring really fast.

Mylene walked over to Juleka and Rose’s desk, crying about something or the other. Ivan looked after her with a longing look on his face. Well, Adrien noted, that was interesting. He’d see if he could help later. Nino got up, patted Adrien’s shoulder and told him to wish him luck. Adrien watched as he approached Chloe and tried to talk to her. Adrien cringed a little; he’d promised Chloe he wouldn’t tell anyone that she was a lesbian, but he really wished he had told Nino anyway. Knowing what he did now, this was just embarrassing.

“Take that back right now!” Marinette’s voice rose through the hum of the class, and Adrien turned to see who she was after this time. She’d certainly mellowed out lately, but when she got fired up, it was still near impossible to stop her.

“I see no need to,” Max answered. Ivan, who had permanently switched places with Kim, looked like he would rather die than engage in their conversation. “Statistically, he’s shown less promise than Ladybug. At first, he was quite promising, but in the last few months, he’s been more of a distraction or obstacle than a useful superhero.”

Adrien felt the blood drop from his face, down into his gut. His stomach churned with self-disgust and regret. He knew exactly what they were talking about.

“He’s out there every time there’s an Akuma or Makara attack,” Marinette defended stubbornly. “He’s doing more to save Paris than you are!”

“Correct, but I never said I was better than him. I simply stated that he was unnecessary.”

 _Unnecessary_. That stung.

Marinette jutted a hip out and scowled down at Max. Adrien took a moment just to admire her. Her hair shone in the poorly lit school room, working perfectly with the bright red and lime green watermelon romper she wore. It was still early enough that her concealer hadn’t creased under her eyes yet. The winter had dulled the freckles on her cheeks, but they were still visible to those who paid attention. Her mouth pursed with her scowl, and her nose scrunched in irritation. Absolutely stunning.

“He’s _not_ unnecessary! He’s a valuable member of the team; he takes care of the Makara while Ladybug subdues the Akuma. Do you honestly think the police could do that on their own? Half the time, its his staff which keeps the Makara at bay. And you say he’s unnecessary? That’s utter shit!”

“I see you are too emotionally involved to see reason,” Max said evenly. He turned back to the worksheet in front of him. “It’s sad to see a bright girl made completely irrational from a little celebrity crush.”

“It’s not a celebrity crush!” Marinette said hotly. “Don’t you turn away from me. He’s a part of the team; they can’t purify Akuma without him, they can’t keep the Makara from destroying stuff without him, Ladybug can’t function without him. Remember the month she was alone? She was fine, but it took hours for her to get anything done--now most attacks last forty minutes at the longest!”

“I refuse to talk to hysterical women.” Max dismissed. Adrien watched Marinette’s face with interest. He’d never seen her so angry that she’d turned purple before. She turned to Kim:

“I’m so glad you’re over this asshole!”

Max froze, and Kim dropped his head in embarrassment. Marinette stomped back to her seat, where Alya was rapidly typing something on her phone. Adrien had a good guess as to what she was doing. He pulled out his phone and opened up his phone. Yup, he was spot on.

* * *

She’d written a quick paragraph for each side of the argument underneath. The Ladyblog was now so popular that she already got over one hundred responses. Adrien pushed a button and pocketed his phone. He was suddenly exhausted.

 _Thank you for responding_ ‘Unnecessary Deadweight’ _for the poll! Your response has been recorded and is appreciated._

* * *

The Makara loomed above him, and Adrien shook in fear. This wasn’t like the rest of them. It was round like the top of a mushroom, but glowed purple, and it was hard as steel. There were thousands of legs on the bottom, scratching the asphalt as it scuttled around the city. It had a head, but someone had shot at it earlier and it had retreated under the dome. Most notably, it had wings. So far, they remained folded up, unused, and Adrien hoped that they would stay that way.  
It shifted and a few police officers gagged. For whatever reason, this Makara stank more than any of the others. Adrien had a notoriously weak stomach anyway. He’d rather take the melancholic silver liquid Makara than this glowing purple one. If only Pisces gave them the courtesy of a choice.

Ladybug was off somewhere else in the city, chasing down the Akuma. He hadn’t gotten a good look at it, but he knew that it was covered in what looked like stone and had flew everywhere. It was also one of those annoying Akuma which sort of helped fight the Makara, but also sort of went off and did its own thing. Adrien hated that type of Akuma.

The Makara hissed like a cockroach and moved forward. Adrien split his staff in two, planting one in the ground. He extended it straight into the Makara’s dome, stopping it in its tracks. It didn’t seem to understand what was happening, so it continued to fight against the staff. Adrien jumped to the side of the street and clawed himself up the side of a building. He pushed off the wall and landed on the Makara’s back. He knew the head had eyes, but he wasn’t going to go inside the Makara’s shell. He’d once climbed a headless Makara’s neck, and what he saw...he still sometimes had nightmares. He wouldn’t risk something like that again. So, he’d need to break through the Makara’s shell. If only Ladybug was here; she could have made him an axe or a hammer or something.

He planted his feet on the surprisingly slick shell and brought his baton down, extending it as he went. A loud clack rang through the air, and he felt it down to his bones, through his teeth. The Makara didn’t even seem to notice. Adrien tried again, again, _again_. This wasn’t working. He needed Ladybug.

He jumped off the Makara’s back, towards Claude. There was a possibility he could help.

“Just my staff won’t break through its shell,” Claude lowered his weapon and looked at him. That was one thing which had also changed; the police looked at Adrien and Ladybug less as teenage nuisances and more as capable partners. It was nice. “I need something--liquid nitrogen? An axe, if any of you brought one.” Adrien glanced back at the half of his staff which was keeping the Makara in place. He physically recoiled as he saw how far it was bending under the force of the Makara. It looked like it was seconds from snapping, no matter how much Plagg assured him it wouldn’t break. Claude barked out an order, and seconds later, Adrien had a tub of liquid nitrogen in his hands.

Adrien turned and jumped towards his staff. He trusted Plagg with his life, but not with the durability of his staff. He grabbed hold of it and immediately sensed how close to facturing the baton actually was. He called it back to him. It shrunk, but it made a sad creaking noise which raised the hairs on the back of Adrien’s neck. Oh, that was not good.

He tucked it behind him and launched himself up with his remaining half of his baton. He landed on the Makara’s back, and extended his baton further, using it as an anchor in the ground. He kept a hold of it as he cautiously lowered himself closer to the part of the shell which hid the Makara’s head.

The Makara surged forward, knocking into Adrien’s anchor. He stumbled back a few feet, sliding off the Makara’s back. He tried to catch himself on the Makara’s wings, but they were covered in a thick mucus membrane, and he continued tumbling to the ground. For a second his heart stopped. He remembered falling from ten stories in the air, no way to save himself. He would have died that day, and he was now back in that moment--he was going to die.

 _“Use your staff you idiot!”_ Plagg screeched. _“Extend,_ extend!”

Adrien grasped his baton with both hands, willing it to grow. It shot out at both ends, catching horizontally across the street. Adrien jerked to a sudden stop, pulling at his shoulders. He gasped--alive. He was alive.

He didn’t have any time to celebrate. The police on the street shot at the Makara’s feet frantically, the pegasi in the air scattered. The Makara stretched its wings, mucous splattering everywhere.

(It would later be discovered that the noxious smelling goop was a concentrated fish oil. The concentrate was sprayed out four blocks in any direction. For weeks afterwards, homeopathic healers and companies which made vitamins would roam about the streets, collecting the concentrate.)

The Makara beat its wings once, wafting its putrid scent everywhere. Adrien couldn’t help himself. His stomach flipped; he vomited onto the street below. The Makara beat its wings again, and Adrien heaved again. A third flap of wings; it was in the sky, and Adrien had nothing left in him but bile to spit out.

The Makara flew, knocking into the tops of buildings, hissing with delight. Adrien took a deep breath, immediately regretted it, and shortened his baton again. The air blew past his face. Before he could collapse on the street, he extended his staff again, planting it in the street and launching himself up. He flew through the air, following the Makara.

It flew surprisingly quickly, beelining around. It was impossible to predict where it was going to go. He followed it as best he could, but it was just never enough. He was always too slow, or guessed it would turn the wrong way--he just couldn’t catch up to it. It crashed through multiple skyscrapers, the top of the glass pyramid of the Louvre, and dropped strange orbs on different spots of the city.

Adrien panted, the sun glaring down at him. One more second of rest, then he pushed off. The Makara hissed, suddenly turning to the right. Adrien just barely managed to jump in its path. Its head was now out in the open. It was short and rounded at the end, like a turtle head. It spotted Cat Noir. A now-familiar sound rumbled out of its throat and it opened its mouth, spitting out a human-sized ball of purple spit. Adrien jumped out of the way. The ball hit where he’d been standing, dissolving it like acid. Adrien’s jaw dropped.

The Makara continued flying, spreading its stench throughout the city. Adrien gagged, but continued following it. He somehow made it on top of the Makara’s back, and took a moment to gather himself, just to rest. He closed his eyes, tearing up from the salt of his sweat. He preferred his hair relatively short; that’s why he saw a barber every month. Plagg hadn’t gotten the memo, however, and made his Cat Noir hair as long as his shoulders, and his bangs fell over his eyes. He hated it.

He blinked the hair and sweat out of his eyes, prepared to fight again, then he froze. Ladybug was swinging alongside a building. Her hands glowed, holding back a Lucky Charm until she could land. That would be too late. The Akuma was flying directly at her. Behind her, the Makara was making that noise in its throat, readying an acid spit-ball. If she kept going forward, she would clash head-first into the stone Akuma. If she dropped or changed direction, the Makara would get her.

Adrien clenched his fists around his baton. For the hundredth time, Adrien wished his weapon, his powers, weren’t so useless in battle. His partner, the one who’d saved his life multiple times, was in danger. He was right here. He couldn’t help her--he was utterly useless.

 _“You’re only useless if you choose to be!”_ Plagg urged. _“If you want to be useful, imagine it--how could you help her?”_

Ladybug kept swinging forward and the Akuma crashed into her. They both spiraled to the ground. Ladybug did her best to hang onto her yo-yo, but it snagged on something and she fell the last ten feet. The stone Akuma landed on top of her and stayed there, pressing its hands against its ears. It was essentially holding her down as it argued with Hawkmoth. The Makara got closer, the rumbling stopped. It hadn’t dropped the spit yet--it was aiming for her!

Adrien couldn’t afford to doubt Plagg’s advice; Ladybug needed help, and if his kwami said it was possible to save her, he’d save her.

How could he? What would he need? Plagg said to use his imagination, but Adrien had never been encouraged to be imaginative. What could he do?

 _“Just go with the first thing that pops into your head!”_ Plagg sounded near frantic. _“You're cutting it a bit close here, you know!”_

Adrien pulled out both halves of his baton and held them in front of him. He couldn’t afford anything slow, he needed to get to her now. Inspired by all the crazy things he’d seen Ladybug create, Adrien imagined a bow and arrow in his hands. The staff glowed and shifted at his will. In seconds, it was formed and heavy in his hands.

He’d never used a bow and arrows before, but he willed the magic to help him, like Ladybug said she did with her yo-yo and with her Lucky Charm. He hopped off the Makara’s back and onto the roof of a building, aiming at her. The Makara was directly over her; it was now or never. He let go of the arrow. He watched it intently. He knew what he wanted; it had better obey.

Something clicked in him, and his fingers cooled considerably. Plagg mumbled something, but Adrien wasn’t listening. He was just watching the arrow; it flew straight at Ladybug, but the second before it hit her, it turned into a rope. One end of it shot at Adrien, and he caught it. The other end wrapped around Ladybug’s waist. Adrien pulled on his end, forcing the rope to shorten, like he did with his staff.

Ladybug yelped in surprise as she was jerked away and up by his side. She landed next to him, stumbling a bit. Her eyes were a little unfocused, and she wobbled on her feet. Adrien made her sit down. She was always strong, always saving everyone and telling them to lean on her. It was time for him to return the favor and take a load off her shoulders. The rope turned back into a simple arrow.

The Makara was turning to face them, but the wings on its back made the turn incredibly slow. Adrien grabbed the arrow and notched it.

 _“Careful, kid,”_ Plagg warned. _“Spending too much magic at once has consequences.”_

Adrien couldn’t afford to heed his warning. Plagg had said that he was only as useless as he imagined himself to be. Well, right now, he didn’t think he was useless at all; he had the fate of Paris on his shoulders, and his partner’s safety was completely dependent on him. He loosed the arrow, willing it to Cataclysm the Makara. The arrow hit the Makara’s shell, and it immediately started dissolving. The awful rotting smell coating the air started disappearing, replaced by a wonderful clean scent. The arrow reappeared in Adrien’s hands. His ring beeped, but Adrien couldn’ afford to pay attention to that. He rubbed his hands; it hadn’t been that cold earlier, so why were his fingers going numb now?

He notched the arrow, aimed it at the Akuma, and fired. Like with Ladybug, the arrow turned into a lasso at the last second, and Adrien pulled it towards him.

“Simple Release.”

He coaxed the butterfly out of the Akuma’s chest. Ivan Bruele slumped in front of him. Well, that was unexpected. The butterfly continued to flutter around his finger.

“Ladybug,” Adrien crouched next to his partner. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she said. She put her hand on her head and winced. “Give me a second. I’ll purify the butterfly.”  
“Take all the time you need.” Adrien couldn’t help but puff his chest out a little. She might not have noticed, but he’d taken care of the Akuma and Makara all by himself--with a new power. He hadn’t felt this proud of himself in a long time. Even if no one noticed, he wouldn’t forget for a long time. Plagg had better prepare himself; he was going to be hearing about today a lot in the upcoming weeks. It didn’t matter if she didn’t mention it.

“I like your new power,” Ladybug slowly stood up from where she’d collapsed earlier. “You really saved my ass today.”

“That’s just what partners do.” Adrien changed his mind. It totally mattered that she mentioned it. He couldn’t wait to log onto the Ladyblog later; he couldn’t wait to see what people had to say. “We save each other.”

Ladybug smiled at him and nodded. She purified the butterfly, then looked around. She cursed.

“I dropped by yo-yo.”

Adrien was about to offer helping her find it, but his ring beeped again. Plagg told him that since he’d spent so much magic, he had less time than normal before he transformed back. He really hadn’t been kidding. Cat Noir had two minutes before he was just civilian Adrien again.

“I can get you to the street, but then I have to leave,” Adrien apologized. “Will you be alright?”

“Of course,” Ladybug grinned. “But we better move fast; two minutes goes by fast.” He grabbed her around the waist and started lowering them down. “Uh, you--take it easy tomorrow.” They reached the street and Adrien had about ninety seconds left. “You spent a lot of magic. Your kwami probably won’t tell you, but it takes a physical toll on you. You’ll see what I mean tomorrow, and later today. Good luck.”

He thanked her. She smiled back at him. He turned and vaulted back into the air, speeding back to his house before any of Alya’s spy cameras caught him de-transforming.

* * *

“It seems you were correct, Marinette,” Max said during their break. “I apologize for anything I said which made you think I was an ass.”

“Don’t talk to me, Max,” Marinette said conversationally. “I don’t like you and have no more reason to talk to you.”. Nino, who was taking a sip of her coffee, choked on his sip. Adrien thumped his back, and Alya took the thermos away from him. None of them wanted to see how Marinette would react if her daily dose of coffee was spilled.

Max frowned, a disheartened look in his eyes. He glanced up at Kim, but Kim was too busy laughing with Nathaniel to look at him. Max’s bottom lip trembled.

“Hey, come on, Marinette,” Adrien said, giving Max a reassuring smile. “Aren’t you being a bit too harsh on him?”

“No.”

“Come on, Max,” Nino invited. “You can sit in Marinette’s seat.”

“You’re kicking me out?”

“No,” Nino said, “But I figure if we get him to sit at our desk, you’ll leave anyway. Why not give him enough room?”

“No, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience--”

“Whatever,” Marinette huffed.

“You’ll like sitting in the front,” Alya reassured, patting the table next to her. Max went and put his things together, moving to sit next to Alya. “Look, now you’ll get to see the whole board.”

“That will be nice,” Max smiled hesitantly.

“Just keep coming back here,” Nino invited. Marinette glared at him, but moved to sit behind him. “It’ll probably be more fun than sitting next to Ivan.”

“Apologize,” Marinette said immediately. Nino turned in his seat and looked at Ivan.

“No offense meant, of course. I just meant that Max’s used to someone talkative, like Kim. Ivan, you’re not that, you know?”

“I know,” Ivan looked down and scribbled something on the sheet of paper in front of him.

“Don’t worry too much about what Marinette said,” Alya patted Max’s arm. “She’ll get over herself soon.”

“I give it a week, tops,” Adrien nodded. He vaguely heard Marinette groan, asking about a song or something.

“She’s probably more mad about the misogynistic attitude you had than the stuff you were saying about Cat Noir,” Nino said, turning back to Max. “Just get back to her in a week and you’ll be cool again.”

“Thank you,” Max said. “I will do that. Ever since Kim and I drifted apart...I haven’t had very many friends. Thank you for being kind to me.”

Well if that wasn’t just one of the saddest things Adrien had ever heard in his entire life.

“No need to worry about that anymore. You’ve got friends. Just keep sitting here, and don’t complain anymore when you get in trouble. It’s annoying when you do that.”

“Nice to see Marinette’s bluntness is rubbing off on you,” Alya rolled her eyes.

* * *

 _“Kid, we need to talk,”_ Plagg said when it was finally time for then to settle in for the night. Adrien threw his shirt on the floor and climbed into bed in just sweatpants. He pulled Plagg into his lap and scratched around Plagg’s ears and under his chin. He purred while speaking, and it made a wobbly sound which never failed to amuse Adrien. _“I’m serious--listen to--stop that!”_

“Go ahead,” Adrien urged, swatting aside the paws which were trying to block his hand. “I’m listening.”

_“You are the most annoying partner I’ve ever had. Ever!”_

“Now that just can’t be true.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

 _“No! Get--off--ugh!”_ Plagg threw himself onto the ground and shook himself indignantly. He faced Adrien. _“The Master gave us a task. We need to actually see it through.”_

“Who?”

Plagg sighed. _“The drunk old man from a few weeks ago? With the turtle kwami?”_

“Oh, him,” Adrien nodded, remembering that encounter. He’d rather forget it again. “No, I'd rather not.”

_“You might not like him, but you have to listen to him. He’s drunk half the time, but Wayzz isn’t. He’ll take your powers away.”_

“So? I got by before without powers. I’m not going to invade Ladybug’s privacy just because some drunk old man told me to.”

 _“If he takes away your powers, who’s going to save Paris? And who’s going to protect Ladybug?”_ Adrien opened his mouth to answer, but no answer came to mind. Plagg sat with the most amount of satisfaction Adrien had ever seen an animal sit with. _“It’s either figure out who she is in civilian form, or sit back and watch her face all the Makara and Akuma alone.”_

There really was no choice.

“I don’t think just asking her would work.” Adrien sighed. Plagg shook his head, cautiously jumping next to him on the bed.

_“Nope, probably not. You’re going to have to do some investigating. You like that, don’t you?”_

“Yeah,” Adrien moped, pulling his covers up. “I really do.”

(This command would later prove to be the best thing Fu Peizhi had ordered his Miraculous holders to do in decades. Wayzz would continue to insist that he be credited, but the guardian would continue to take all credit for himself, until he handed the title to a successor.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for joining us in season 2!


	2. Always Remember, Never Forgive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Gabriel met Emelie, he knew Natalie. Before Emelie married Gabriel, she and Natalie were friends.

Natalie left the Agreste residence, wincing at the volume of the alarms blaring through the city. She understood the necessity of it, to make sure everyone left their houses and got to a bunker as quickly as possible. She also understood that no one wanted to stay at the radio station to turn it off after a set amount of time. Understanding didn’t stop the start of the headache she was now experiencing. She clicked down the steps in front of Gabriel’s mansion. The streets were empty; everyone else had already sought safety in a bunker or in their home.

* * *

_Natalie cried. Her father had spent an eternity on her hair that morning, but now it was completely ruined. The boy who pulled her hair out of the braid laughed. His friends goaded him on, and Natalie found herself pushed into a mud puddle. She cried harder, but the teachers didn’t care._

_Natalie couldn’t even see her new dress through her tears, but she just knew it was ruined. The boys ran away, leaving Natalie in a condition she knew quite well: alone. She stood and moved to the curb, trying to clean her previously pure white dress with grass, but that only made it worse. She wasn’t sobbing anymore, but tears continued to roll down her face. She sat on the street, knees up to her chest, and crossed her arms over her head. She didn’t want to see anyone; everyone was so mean, and she wasn’t sure why. She tried her best to be kind, to be helpful, but no one seemed to care about that. They only wanted to be mean._

_“Are you ok?”_

_Natalie looked up, wiping her tears and snot on her sleeve. The boy in front of her had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a cautious smile on his face. He was the new kid, Gabriel. No one had warmed up to him yet. Natalie wasn’t sure what to think of him, but she’d give him a chance. Hopefully he wouldn’t be as mean as the rest of the boys in class._

_“They pushed me,” she sniffled, standing and gesturing to her dress. “And they ruined my hair. My dad took forever on it. He was so proud of himself…” She started crying again._

_“I can fix your hair,” the boy said confidently. He made her sit on the curb and got to working on her hair. His fingers clumsily untangled the tangles._

_“How do you know how to do a girl’s hair?” Natalie asked. “Isn’t that weird?”_

_“My dad makes me do my mom’s hair every day,” Gabriel said. “He says it’s the right thing to do.”_

_“That’s weird,” Natalie said. “Are you any good?”_

_“No, but I can probably do better than you!”_

_Natalie felt him tugging at her head and complained. Gabriel said sorry, then asked if she’d gotten the newest toy in the stores. She hadn’t, but he invited her over to his house so they could play together._

_When recess was over, Natalie sat next to Gabriel. Even though his pigtails were crooked, he was a nice person, and he was her first friend._

* * *

Natalie chastised herself, her ankles rolling underneath herself. There was a Makara attack; of course the streets would be shaking. Everyone knew what the damage was like. Natalie had had to move a few months ago after her apartment building was destroyed. She should have packed an extra pair of shoes--something other than stilettos.

The Makara screeched, and a wave of sadness washed over her. She kept moving, though slower than before. She just needed to go another two blocks, then she’d reach her personal bike, and she’d be able to move with much more comfort and speed.

* * *

_Natalie shifted nervously. She waited at her front door. Her high school was having a dance tonight. She wasn’t any more popular in high school than she’d been in elementary or middle school. No one had asked her, and she had no friend group to go with. When she’d told Gabriel, he’d told her he would take her. As a friend, of course. He’d been sure to add that on. Though it had pained her slightly, Natalie was happy with just this._

_Gabriel’s dad got a new job the year before, so he’d moved away and now went to a different high school. He and Natalie stayed in touch, and just the thought that he cared enough to still think of her made Natalie almost delirious with happiness._

_Someone rang the doorbell and she pulled the door open. Gabriel stood in front of her, more handsome than she remembered. Since his mom had left his dad, he’d become more serious, and more stressed. His hair was already graying. On others, it would have looked awful, but Gabriel pulled off the gray hair with a grace that only he could. His suit was perfectly tailored, and it showed off his tall and lithe build._

_Suddenly Natalie felt self-conscious standing next to him. She had acne all over her chin and forehead, her curves were non-existent, and she felt like a kid playing dress up in her heels. Gabriel held out the corsage in his hands. It was purple, just the right shade to complement her own purple dress. Of course it was; he even wore a matching purple shirt and tie. He was so put together, and Natalie felt like a fake._

_“You look great,” she smiled at him, closing the door behind her. Her palms were clammy with nerves, and she cursed under her breath when she couldn’t get the key in the lock._

_“So do you,” Gabriel said. “I love the stilettos,”_

_“The what?”_

_“The heels,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. Natalie gave him an amused smile. Since he’d decided he wanted to be a designer, he’d been insufferable with his fashion terminology. ‘Nice tweed jacket, Natalie.’ ‘Peplums don’t work for you, Natalie.’ ‘Try this empire waist dress, Natalie.’_

_“Oh, these?” Natalie stuck out her leg and showed off the four inch silver heels. She’d only been wearing them for five minutes but they already hurt like a bitch. “You think so?”_

_“Yeah,” Gabriel nodded. “They definitely suit you. They make your legs look nice.”_

_“They do?” Natalie couldn’t blame her burning cheeks on the afternoon air; it was cool and windy. She looked down at them, rapidly trying to think of something to say. “They hurt, though.”_

_“Hold onto my arm, then,” Gabriel said, opening the door for her. She hated his dumb truck, but Gabriel loved it, for whatever reason. Natalie simply couldn’t get over the smell of old plastic inside of it._

_They got to the dance, and, true to his word, Gabriel let Natalie hold onto his arm and lean on him the whole night. She was in bliss, totally euphoric. It was one of the best nights of her life._

* * *

It was weird to see the entire city of Paris shut down. It was a giant city, home to millions of people. It would truly be impossible for a Makara or Akuma to attack two ends of the city, but people didn’t like to risk it. Of course, no one liked to roam about with a screeching alarm ringing in the streets, either. Natalie rode her bike through the south border of Paris, completely alone. It was impossible to even hear herself think over the alarm and the occasional crash of the Makara or Akuma.

She got off the bike and laid it on the grass. No one bothered stealing bikes anymore. There were so many around Paris, and they were available for so cheap, it was simply easier to buy one or get a donated one. Natalie left it on the ground with no fear and got her keys out. She hadn’t used a car in more than a year; she hoped she wouldn’t crash her car like a teenager.

She unlocked her car. It had taken weeks to slowly work the car through the streets and into the open field here just south of the city. Cars were now banned in Paris due to the danger they posed on the mostly destroyed streets. She’d had to push it through the streets at night. It was a long walk, and though it wasn’t heavy when the car was in neutral and the street was flat, there were a lot of hills she’d had to carefully drive up, hoping the police were too busy with other duties to care about a loose car on the streets.

Natalie climbed in the car, started it, and drove further south.

* * *

_College was a great time. Everyone left each other alone. No one had the time to form cliques, no one had the time to bully anyone, and on one had the time to gossip about anyone. Natalie loved the freedom of being herself without worrying about what anyone else thought. She moved from class to class, doing her work and keeping in touch with her fathers any time she had free time. She had good grades, was making friends, and she was finally, truly happy. As a bonus, she was going to the same college as Gabriel!_

_She walked through the campus, stopping by her dorm to drop off her bag and pick up her purse and some money. She could also afford a quick shower. She had plans to meet with Gabriel. He had a friend he wanted to introduce her to, and Natalie definitely wanted to make a good impression._

_Once showered and freshly spritzed with perfume, Natalie started towards the restaurant they’d agreed on meeting at. It was a simple gyro shop, but it was her and Gabriel’s favorite place on campus. Her small heels made little clicks as she walked on the sidewalk._

_She opened the door and immediately found Gabriel. His hair had turned completely silver, and sunshine reflected off it majestically. Barely holding in a sigh, she made her way over to him. Next to him sat a pretty blonde girl. She was probably around their age, with stunning green eyes. Her blonde hair was cut close to her head, and she wore a pretty pink dress._

_“Hello,” the blonde girl greeted. “I’m Emelie. I’ve heard so much about you!”_

* * *

Outside Natalie’s window, she saw approaching mountains, and the beginning streaks of a sunset. The colors bled into each other; Sunset was Natalie’s favorite time of day. It was a promise: as awful as the day might be, there will always be beauty to look forward to at the end of it all.

* * *

_Natalie and Emelie became fast friends. After the initial awkwardness of meeting a new person, they found they’d had a shocking amount in common. They both loved the same old horror movie, they both loved hiking, and they both had two dads. It was nice to share jokes with someone who understood being a girl raised by two guys, and even more nice to just have a friend who was a girl._

_Natalie had been making more friends since she’d started college, but they were all guys. For whatever reason, she found herself more at ease with boys, and she’d found it hard to reach out to any girls in her class. Now that Gabriel had introduced her to Emelie, though, she found she rather enjoyed being friends with a girl._

_“Let’s do this,” Natalie said, showing Emelie an ad she’d found in a magazine. Emelie took the ad and flopped on Natalie’s bed. Natalie puttered around her room, picking up trash and throwing it in the bin. She should have checked who she was rooming with before moving in. Natalie loved things to be neat and orderly, and her roommates obviously did not care about that at all._

_“This sounds awesome,” Emelie said. She put the magazine on the bed and sat up. “I’ve never been to a real spa, you know?”_

_“Neither have I!” Natalie said, bouncing on the bed next to Emelie. “I’ve never had the money to go. And even if I did, there was no one I could take with me. I only ever had one friend growing up, and that was Gabriel.”_

_Emelie laughed. “I can’t imagine Gabriel in a spa, especially with the cucumbers over his eyes!”_

_“Oh, yeah,” Natalie snorted. “The image of him in a white bathrobe while some women give him a facial and a pedicure is too much for me.”_

_“Well, let’s call and book something for this weekend,” Emelie suggested. Natalie and Emelie walked to the breakroom, hoping no one else was using the one landline her floor had. They set up the appointment and went together a few days later. Natalie couldn’t help but think that she should have made a girl friend a long time ago._

* * *

Natalie parked her car a few dozen meters away from a decrepit cabin in the mountains. It was just warming up in the daytime, but still unbearably cold in the evenings. She rubbed her hands together and shivered as she got out of the heated car. She turned the doorknob and let herself in. She was instantly hit with a wave of heat. Though Pisces kept a prisoner in the cabin, she kept her in good shape. Emelie got three meals a day, and was allowed to bathe once a week. The cabin was always a comfortable temperature, and it was relatively clean inside. Not nearly clean enough for Natalie’s standards.

She cautiously stepped inside and slowly made her way down the stairs, back to where Pisces kept Emelie prisoner.

* * *

_“I just hate it when girls let something as dumb as a guy ruin their friendship, you know?” Emelie said, walking down the aisle. Natalie nodded in agreement, but a scary thought passed through her mind. She had never hung around girls much before, she didn’t know how they really showed they liked someone. Heck, more than just girls, Natalie didn’t even know when a guy liked someone. What if...what if Emelie liked Gabriel? Natalie had the sudden urge to clear the air, to make sure everything would be simple between her and Emelie._

_“I have something I’ve never told anyone,” Natalie said. “Can I tell you?”_

_She and Emelie were in the grocery store closest to their dorms, getting some toiletries. Emelie hummed, indicating that she was listening, as she continued to scan the moisturizers in front of her. They were all out of her price range, but Emelie loved those sorts of things. Natalie braced herself and blurted out:_

_“I like Gabriel!”_

_Emelie paused, then turned to her. “I like Gabriel, too,” she said slowly. The two girls looked at each other. For the first time in knowing her, Natalie was angry at Emelie. She had known Gabriel for years. She’d been there for him when his mom left, he’d been there for her when she was bullied, and they knew everything about each other. How dare Emelie say ‘too,’ as if she felt even a fraction of what Natalie felt?_

_Then the anger seeped away. Emelie couldn’t help her feelings any more than Natalie could. It was unfair for her to compare her own feelings with Emelie. Natalie shifted on her heels uncomfortably, and Emelie continued to stare at her._

_“We can’t let some guy get between us,” Emelie finally said, putting her shopping basket down. She held out her little finger. She’d recently taught Natalie about the solemn vow known as a pinkie promise. “Promise. We won’t let him get between us.”_

_Natalie looped her pinkie with Emelie’s. “So...neither of us will tell him how we feel?”_

_“Exactly,” Emelie said seriously. “Sisters before misters.”_

* * *

_“I now pronounce you man and wife.” The preacher turned to Gabriel, smiling brightly. “You may kiss the bride.”_

_And he did._

_Everyone in the church cheered, and Natalie felt her heart rip out of her chest. Tears stung at her eyes, and her cheeks heated with embarrassment and anguish. She’d trusted Emelie, considered her a friend--her best friend. They’d made a vow, to keep their hands off of Gabriel, to prioritize their relationship with each other more. So, Natalie had kept her mouth shut. She’d watched as Gabriel entered contest after contest. She’d watched as he designed and sewed late into the night. She’d watched as he showed more and more signs of liking her--and she’d ignored it. Her entire life, her fathers had instilled in her a deep sense of loyalty. Without loyalty, a person was irredeemable. Emelie Agreste nee Tasse was irredeemable._

_Emelie had come to her a few months ago, glowing with excitement about the engagement, and asked Natalie to be her bridesmaid. Natalie felt as though she’d been ambushed and stabbed in the back. She’d panicked and said yes._

_She’d been by Emelie’s side every excruciating minute of planning the wedding. She was there for picking the dress, picking the bridesmaid dresses, trying the cakes, picking the venue, and even planned the entire bachelorette wedding. Natalie watched at the sidelines as Emelie planned her dream wedding to her dream man, and she could do nothing about it._

_The bride and groom left the church, and everyone followed them to see them to the limo. Natalie finally let herself collapse on the ground and cry her eyes out._

_The pastor came to her, confused, and handed her a tissue. She didn’t want it. She hadn’t cried since Gabriel had stepped into her life, but she couldn’t keep the tears at bay now that he’d taken the first step away from her. He might not know it yet, but Natalie knew--she knew exactly the type of person his wife was. In a few years, she would be lucky to get a Christmas card from the man she loved. She sobbed again, her stomach aching with the force of her cries._

* * *

Emelie was exactly where she’d been the last time. She was on the opposite side of the bars, sitting in the corner, staring at a wall. It was almost sad enough to garner sympathy from Natalie. But not quite enough. Natalie didn’t go one day without remembering Emelie’s betrayal.

She stepped closer,

“Emelie?”

Emelie bolted up and ran, stumbling, to the bars.

“You’re back!”

“I tried to contact Gabriel...Agreste,” Natalie shook her head, softening her expression. “He wouldn’t let me in to see him.”

“You have to say my middle name. Did you say my middle Name? Emelie Adrienne Agreste!”

“I did. He wouldn’t let me see him.”

“You forgot my middle name. If he heard that you’d seen me, that you knew where I was, he would beg to see you--he loves me!”

The words struck Natalie like a glass shard. “Maybe he doesn't anymore,” Natalie snapped. “You’ve been gone over a year. Maybe he thinks you’re dead.”

Emelie sat back, face white. “Wha--no. No, that’s impossible. After everything I did to get him, everything I did for him. No. Go back. Please, tell him: You found Emelie Adrienne Agreste! Please, please!”

Natalie looked at her sympathetically and patted her hand. “Ok, I’ll try again. I can’t promise I’ll be back as soon next time, though. Try to think of a Plan B for when he doesn’t see me again.” Natalie turned and started walking out the door.

“He will see you!” Emelie yelled at her back. Natalie didn’t look back at her. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

* * *

_Natalie stood, stoic, at Emelie’s side in the hospital. Gabriel hadn’t been able to leave his meeting, so he’d sent Natalie to go check on his wife. Natalie held a balloon in one hand, and a container of pad thai in her other hand. She handed both to Emelie, taking care not to look at the baby in the cot next to the woman._

_“Congratulations on your son,” Natalie said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. This should have been her special day, the day she had her first son with Gabriel. Instead, she was stuck in the biggest cosmic joke of the century._

_“Oh,” Emelie took the balloon and pad thai from Natalie. “You’re Gabriel’s secretary, right? Thank you so much for bringing this to me--I bet my husband told you to bring the pad thai because he couldn’t make it yet? Don’t judge him too harshly, he cares, but he has a lot of obligations at work, that’s all.”_

_Natalie couldn’t remember the rest of their conversation. She spoke, she went through the motions, but nothing remained in her braid. She faded out of the moment, unable to fathom the absurdity of it all. Emelie, her prior best friend, had not only married the man she loved and had a child with him, but she didn’t even have the decency to remember her._

_Natalie made an excuse to leave, turned, and left the hospital. She never could stomach looking at Emelie’s son._

* * *

As much as Natalie knew the kidnapping of Emelie Agreste was wrong and illegal, she couldn’t bring herself to care too much. Emelie had ruined her life. She was just getting her comeuppance. Natalie wouldn’t hinder the police investigation of Emelie’s disappearance, but she wouldn’t help them with an anonymous tip, either. Natalie’s life would be so much easier, so much less cruel with no Emelie. She wouldn’t stop Emelie if she broke out, but she would do her best to prevent her from trying to leave, or from wanting to escape. Natalie could play the long game: she could come, act like she was friends with this stranger, and slowly chip away her spirit. Natalie could make sure Emelie Agreste stayed out of her life. Permanently.


	3. Adrien's House I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes to Adrien's house for the first time. She continues to try and adjust to her temporary new home.

Adrien ran around his room, throwing clothes all over his bed, his couch, even on the floor. Plagg watched him through half-lidded eyes, his interest long-since gone. Adrien skidded to a stop in front of one of the multiple mirrors in his room and ruffled his hair. Half an hour ago, the slicked back hairstyle seemed like a great idea. Now it looked stupid. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to make it look messier, more natural. While his arms were up he sniffed his armpits. He sighed in relief. He’d remembered deodorant--but had he remembered cologne? He ran to his bathroom and sprayed some by his neck and chest.

He was wearing black jeans and classy black shoes. He wasn’t wearing a shirt yet--he had to choose just the right one. He dug through all his options. Orange was his favorite color, but it clashed with his blonde hair. Marinette’s favorite color was pink, but his only pink shirt was a button-up, and that would look stuffy and uncomfortable. Adrien felt like such a moron--he should have planned ahead, he should have gotten a casual pink shirt days ago, then he wouldn’t have this problem! He threw all the possible shirts he could wear on his couch, then fell to his knees as he began digging through them. Any shirts he discarded were thrown on the floor. He mumbled to himself as he sorted them:

“Not the white shirt, not the striped one--why is this so hard? Not the green, not the black, not the gray. This one’s nice. Maybe the light blue?”

He could just imagine the conversation now. Marinette would ring the doorbell, he'd open the door for her. She would be looking cute and well-dressed as always. He’d compliment her and her eyes would light up, like they always did when he commented on her clothes. She’d gush about them for a while and he would lead her inside. She’d make an off-hand comment about his clothes, too, and how he looked nice. He would brush it off like he’d just thrown on whatever was closest to him in the morning.

It would be perfect.

 _“It’s nine,”_ Plagg announced. _“If you don’t pick something soon, you’re going to miss her.”_

Adrien didn’t have any more time. He threw on the light blue T-shirt and darted out the door. The hallways never seemed so never-ending. He ran past Natalie, throwing her off-balance, but he didn’t care; he’d just heard someone ring the bell.

Gorilla was about to open the front door, but Adrien reached him in time to stop him. He took a second to calm his breathing and straighten his shirt one last time. Gorilla gave him an amused look and ambled away. Adrien took a second to calm down, inhaling and exhaling. He reached towards the doorknob. The doorbell rang again, Adrien’s heart raced, and he pulled the door open with an embarrassing amount of force and eagerness. All thoughts about his shirt were gone. All his focus was on the girl in front of him.

She wore fitted leather pants and a long-sleeve lace pink shirt. Her hair was shiny and fell straight to her shoulders. She wasn’t wearing any concealer, so the bags under her eyes looked darker than normal. As always, she was stunning.

“Marinette!” He grinned down at her. She was practically bouncing in excitement, beaming back at him. “Hey!”

“I can’t believe this is happening!” she wiggled her hips and shoulders in an excited dance. Adrien joined her, giving the dance his own spin. She danced inside. Adrien closed the door behind her, pulling her into a hug. Her arms wrapped around him and she squeezed, just a little too tight for a comfortable hug. He didn’t mind, he could only focus on the beating of his heart and how nice it felt to hold her.

“When my dad told me, I couldn’t believe it! I’m so happy for you!” He released her, barely resisting the urge to grab her hand.

“Don’t play stupid,” Marinette playfully smacked his arm. He rubbed it as though he were joking, but it honestly hurt. “I know it was you who told him to do this!”

“You’re not mad though, are you?” Adrien asked, leading her to the sitting room. Marinette happily followed.

“Of course not!” she exclaimed. “A tour through Agreste Industries by Gabriel Agreste himself? This is like… a dream come true!”

He smiled back at her. It was impossible not to smile when she was here, in his house, focused entirely on him. “I’m not sure why you think it’s so cool, but I’m glad you’re excited.”

“Shut up, are you joking? Why wouldn’t I be excited? I’ve looked up to Agreste Industries for years--they’ve been so popular for so long, they’ve made such a huge name for themselves. They’re one of the most well-known fashion houses in Paris already, which is practically unheard of!” She went on. And on. And on. Adrien could listen to her talk all day. She knew so much about the background of what she was talking about, she was so passionate about it, it almost made Adrien interested in looking more information up for himself. He’d never thought the financial side of his dad’s business was interesting, but when Marinette spoke about it, he couldn’t imagine anything more engrossing.

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien’s father walked through the doorway to the sitting room, crossing the room with confident strides. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. My personal assistant wasn’t sure where you were, so she took a moment to find you before coming to get me.”

“It’s no problem at all, Mr. Agreste,” Marinette stood and shook his hand. Marinette was practically vibrating with energy. “You have no idea how excited I’ve been for today--I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”

“I do hope you get a better night’s sleep tonight,” Gabriel laughed politely, and Marientte giggled nervously in response.

“Well, I was productive, anyway. Since I couldn’t sleep, I mean. I made this outfit.”

“All by yourself?” Gabriel said, turning a critical eye to Marinette’s outfit. “In one night? This is impressive, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I can see how you’ve won so many of our contests, and why Adrien insisted I show you how I spend my day.”

“Will we be going to the Fashion House itself?” Marinette asked eagerly. “With all the designers and design scraps?”

Gabriel smiled, “I think that can be arranged for later in the afternoon, though I hope you know that’s not really what I do anymore.”

“I don’t care,” Marinette said. “I’m interested in the industry of fashion as much as I’m interested in the creativity of it. Please, lead the way, I’ll be happy with anything you show me!”

Gabriel nodded and started leaving the room. Marinette followed, but Adrien stayed glued to his chair. It was like a bubble of sunshine and happiness had popped right in front of him. That was it; he had gotten more time with her than he’d expected, but he couldn’t stop the immense disappointment in his chest. She probably would have commented on his outfit if he’d had a suitable pink shirt. He’d have to get Natalie to order him one right away.

Marinette glanced back at him, confused, and motioned for him to get up and walk with her. It was insane how quickly just a look from her could lift his mood. With a slight smile on his face, Adrien shook his head and waved her forward. He wouldn’t be allowed to follow them; Adrien was never allowed to bother Gabriel when he was working.

Gabriel asked Marinette something and she immediately launched into a long answer. Adrien stayed seated until he couldn’t hear them anymore, and then waited a while longer. He finally gathered the energy to push off the sofa and trudged back to his room.

 _“You’re back already?”_ Plagg kicked his back legs, trying to get a foothold on the bookshelf he was climbing. _“That was short. What happened?”_

“She and Father went to walk through a day in his shoes. He never allows me to be around when he’s working. You know that.”

_“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that. Is he really going to kick you out when he has a guest with him?”_

Adrien paused in the middle of kicking off his shoes. Plagg had a point. His father valued his image a lot--would he really risk ruining his name just to keep Adrien away? Thinking about it, even if Gabriel did turn him away, what was the worst that would happen? He would be sent away, like the last two years. He really wouldn’t be losing anything.

Decision made, Adrien slipped his shoe back on and walked out of his room. Plagg wished him luck and continued trying to climb the bookshelf. Adrien closed the door silently behind him. The hallway opened in front of him. Sixty steps, a turn to the left, ten more steps, and Adrien stood in front of his father’s office. He almost knocked, but then he realized that would only sabotage his mission. He turned the doorknob and let himself in.

Marinette sat on the ground, surrounded by papers. On each paper was a design, or a block of colors. She was examining one paper, writing notes and scrunching her nose like she tended to do when she was focusing. As soon as she noticed Adrien had walked in, her head snapped up to greet him. She grinned widely, and Adrien embraced the swell of happiness; it was nice for someone to be so openly excited to see him. His father was sitting at his desk. He was reading something on his computer. Without looking up from what he was doing, Gabriel spoke:

“Can I help you with something?”

“No. I just wanted to be here. To, you know, go through the day with you and Marinette.”

Marinette perked up and started to speak: “That would be so--”

“Adrien, go back to your room.” Gabriel sounded bored rather than firm or irritated. That lifeless tone hurt worse than a strict reprimand would have. Marinette looked at him, shocked. Gabriel continued, not noticing Marinette’s look. “Your piano and science tutors are scheduled to come in today. Go revise until they arrive.”

“It’s the weekend!” Adrien protested. “We agreed, no more tutors on the weekend!”

“We also agreed not to bother me when I’m working, and yet here you are.” Gabriel hadn’t looked up once. Adrien shot him a dirty look anyway. He knew Gabriel wouldn’t see, but Marinette would, and that was good enough. She was glancing between him and Gabriel, a grimace on her face. Adrien smiled slightly at her and waved at her as he left. She didn't look very happy to see him go, and he took solace in that. At least someone in the house wanted his company.

* * *

Adrien dutifully revised before his lessons, which each lasted an hour. He figured since he was already bored out of his mind, he might as well finish any homework he had, too. Plagg continued his quest to make it to the top of the bookshelf, but he took multiple breaks to catnap on the way up. Lessons revised, tutoring sessions over, homework completed, Adrien finally got around to straightening his room up. He could have thrown the clothes all in his laundry hamper for his maid to take care of later, but none of them were really dirty, and it wasn’t like he had anything better to do, so he picked them up, ironed them, and hung them up in his closet again.

He watched Plagg climb his bookshelf for a while before finally deciding to actually read something. He grabbed a book and started it, but it was impossible to enjoy. He got through two chapters, but he couldn’t get into the story. He put the book away and flopped onto his bed. He truly had absolutely nothing to do. He rolled onto his back and turned on his phone. Maybe there would be something entertaining on the Ladyblog.

As he opened his phone, the time stood out to him. 1:30. Lunch time.

Adrien jumped up. Plagg was sleeping, so he quietly exited the room. He might like messing with his kwami, but even he wouldn’t ruin a perfectly good nap. He closed the door behind him. Sixty steps, left turn, ten steps. He entered his father’s office.

His father was still sitting at his desk, in front of his computer. Behind him stood Marinette. She was looking at the screen, listening to whatever Gabriel was explaining. When Adrien entered, Gabriel stopped talking and actually looked at him. Marinette looked up at him, too. She seemed tired, but still happier than he’d ever seen her at school .

“It’s lunchtime,” Adrien said, already imagining the next half hour. “Should we all go to the dining room? We can ask the chefs to make fried chicken?” Fried chicken was his father’s favorite.

Adrien could imagine it now. They would all sit at the table, Marinette would compliment the food, he would compliment her face. She would roll her eyes and brush him off, but finally notice his outfit and say it looked good. He would act like it was no big deal. His father would look on, amused, or maybe even bring up how smart and talented and pretty Marinette was. It would be perfect--if only his father would agree now. He hoped Marinette liked fried chicken. What if she didn’t? He should have asked--he was so stupid!

“Adrien, we’ve already eaten.” his father said. All of Adrien’s plans vanished in an instant. Marinette looked at his father.

“I thought you said someone asked Adrien to join us but he couldn’t make it?”

“He couldn’t make it. He had lessons to attend. Adrien, go to the dining room. Marinette and I had baked fish for lunch, and there should still be enough leftover for you.”

“It still seems wrong to just decide without asking him.” Marinette pressed, stepping back to create space between herself and Adrien’s father. “You’re family, shouldn’t it be normal to eat together?” No one said anything. Marinette pursed her lips, but turned to Adrien. “Lead the way to the dining room. Mr. Agreste, would you mind taking a short break?”

Adrien’s father had that look on his face--the one which said he wasn’t very happy. The last thing Adrien wanted was for his father to dislike Marinette.

“No, I’m not hungry. I just wanted to join you if you guys were going to eat,” Adrien shrugged nonchalantly.

“Shut up,” Marinette narrowed her eyes. Gabriel looked at her, appalled. Adrien winced; this was absolutely not what he had wanted to happen when he walked into the room. “You totally want us to go with you--why don’t you just say it?”

“Yes, Adrien. Say what it is you want.” His father was looking at him, clearly wanting him to say he wanted to leave them to their work.

“Nothing,” Adrien insisted. Marinette frowned at him. His stomach clenched. “I just wanted to know if you guys were going to eat, because then I’d join you.”

“Like I said, we already ate,” Gabriel sighed. “I’m at work, Adrien. You know the rules.”

“We can’t take a short break to spend time with him as he eats?” Marinette questioned, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting a hip out to the side. Uh oh. Adrien knew what that stance meant. He wanted to speak up, to tell her he was alright, to tell her to just get back to work...but something held him back. He knew saying those things would make life easier for Marinette, and even for his father, but he didn’t want to stop her. Having someone stand up for him and say all the things he’d been thinking for years was hard to shut down. Secretly, he wanted Marinette to continue. So he stood there, stayed quiet, and watched as Marinette pressed on. “It would only be fifteen minutes.”

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel smiled thinly at her. “I am, first and foremost, a businessman. I am both head designer and CEO of Agreste Industries. My duties take all day. There’s no way I could stay on top of my work if I take a fifteen minute break every time my son comes around because he’s bored.”

“He’s not bored, he’s _lonely_ ,” Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. “Have you seen this house? It’s like a mausoleum. No one lives here, it’s like you’re all guests--or dead or something. He’s stuck inside, forced to go to lessons on weekends, and to spend all day in his room. He just wants to spend fifteen minutes with you, isn’t that alright? He’s your son!” Marinette really had grown in the last few months. When Adrien had first met her, she’d been much more impatient, much more likely to glare, shout, poke fingers into other peoples’ faces. Now she was making her points, but though she was calm, her voice was still firm and commanding. The look in her eyes dared anyone to contradict her.

Adrien cheered her on in his head, agreeing with her points and adding more to strengthen her argument. _That's right, I'm his son! What's the worst that could happen from spending fifteen minutes with me? You used to do it all the time, and everything was fine. Why are you leaving me, too? Wasn't mom’s disappearance enough?_

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel’s voice was hard. “My interactions with my son are none of your business.”

It’s totally her business. You're the one that started this by refusing to just eat with me--just sit with me for fifteen minutes! I just wanted to talk to the two of you together, to get you guys to like each other. Why do you have to ruin all my plans?

“It is my business!” Marinette said hotly, looking Gabriel straight in the eyes. _Yeah, you tell him, Marinette!_ “He’s my friend. I know you’re a businessman, but you’re also _his dad_. Adrien lost his mom, but that wasn’t her choice. You’re abandoning him on purpose, and that’s unforgivable.”

As tough as it was to hear Marinette, essentially an outsider, say those words, Adrien knew it was true. He'd been thinking the same thing for months. Just because he'd had the same thoughts, though, didn’t stop the sick feeling in his stomach as her words hung in the air.

Gabriel was turning red at the ears. Adrien hadn’t seen him this angry since he’d accidentally spilled a wet art project on one of his most expensive suits the day before it was meant to be mailed to the man who ordered it. Bringing up Emelie Agreste probably hadn’t been a very smart idea. He couldn't bring himself to fault Marinette, though. In fact, he was glad she'd been the one to broach such an uncomfortable topic; he knew he'd never have been able to do so. Instead of anger or offense, he felt touched that she felt inclined to broach uncomfortable topics for his sake. Marinette always spoke her mind. It just so happened that what she thought was also what Adrien thought. They were so in sync, Adrien took it as a sign that they belonged together.

“This is unacceptable!” Gabriel locked his jaw to quiet himself, but it didn’t change the fact that he was yelling. “You come into my home, where I’ve taken the time to give you a guided tour through a day in the life of working as a lead designer in a major fashion house, and this is how you repay me?”

“Mr. Agreste, please don’t act like I’ve only been taking up your time--as you’ll easily be able to recall when you go through those designs, I’ve been working, too. I’ve discarded any which are boring, tedious, or uninspired, and written notes for the ones with potential.” Marinette’s brows were meeting in the middle, and if he were closer, Adrien would have poked her forehead to remind her to relax a little.

His father opened his mouth to retort, but Adrien couldn’t see what happened next. The door opened suddenly behind him and pushed him out of the way. Natalie clicked into the room. Adrien wasn’t even surprised anymore. She always seemed to know what was happening in the house at all times. She stepped between Marinette and his father. Natalie coolly led her to the door.

“You need to leave now. Please don’t return.”

Marinette ignored her and twisted to face Adrien. “I’ll be seeing you on Wednesday!” She planted her feet on the ground, and try as she might, Natalie couldn’t pull her any further. Adrien internally grinned. Natalie might have been strong enough to push his 6’2” frame to the side like it was nothing, but she couldn’t get 5’0” Marinette Dupain-Cheng to move, even if she had a bulldozer. “It’s family game night. No excuses--be there.” Then Marinette turned, pulled her arm from Natalie’s grasp, and walked out of the office, head held high.

Adrien watched her leave, wishing she would turn and wave good-bye or something. She was so strong, so fierce, so amazing. She was kind and creative and loyal, and knew what he was thinking without even looking at him. She was everything he never knew he wanted in a girl, and he would not miss Wednesday family game night for the world.

“You will not be going to the home of such an impudent, arrogant, conceited, hubristic, self-important, haughty--” Gabriel stumbled over himself for a few moments, trying to find a word to describe her, “ _impolite_ girl’s house! I forbid it!”

“Looks like someone’s found a thesaurus,” Adrien said mildly, still staring down the hallway, where Marinette was starting to look confused about which way to the exit. “You know, none of that would have happened if you’d just taken fifteen minutes to sit with me while I had lunch.”

“You asked me, as a favor, to show your friend an authentic day of a fashion house’s CEO. I was doing as you asked and got to know her,” Adrien watched as Marinette accidentally walked into a hall closet on her way to the front doors. “Now, I can see exactly who and what she is. You will not be going to her house, and you will not associate with her any longer!”

Marinette found the correct door and left. Adrien finally turned back and looked at his father. “You can’t really stop me. It would take longer than fifteen minutes if you tried.” He turned and went back to his room, no longer hungry for lunch. He couldn’t wait to tell Plagg everything that had just happened.

* * *

Marinette didn’t storm out of Adrien’s house. She had no need to--she wasn’t running from anyone, and she wasn’t going to let her emotions take control of her. She’d said her piece, and now she could walk calmly and with pride. Besides, she’d gotten lost so many times in the house that if she stomped out of it now, it would just make her feel stupid.

Adrien’s driver saw her off and she waved good-bye to him, promising to give him special pumpkin seed muffins the next time she saw him.

It was still bright out, just starting to get warmer. She pulled her light summer sweater around herself, taking in the scenery on her way to her current home. She couldn’t allow her mind to wander too much. Sometimes, if she did that, she would take familiar streets and find herself standing in front of the rubble of her childhood home again.

She walked through unfamiliar streets. An Akuma had attacked here a few weeks ago, and there were still spikes of unmeltable ice shards sticking out of cracks in the street. No plants grew here; it was too cold. It was a dark, gray street in comparison to the rest of Paris. No one could live here anymore so the police didn’t bother patrolling the area. Only morons lingered around for too long, even in the daytime.

Marinette strolled through the area, avoiding the jagged edges of the ice shards. A beautiful large house loomed in front of her. Truthfully, it was more like a mansion than a house. It stood five stories high with a coating of fresh white paint on the outside. Two balconies wrapped around the house like lace, on the second and fourth stories of the building. The top of the mansion had an open area with a pool, though it was still covered because of the unpredictable weather.

Marinette headed straight towards it, pulling out the key for the front door. Before she could even get half of the key in the lock, a well-trained butler opened the door for her.

“Good afternoon, Mademoiselle Marinette,” he greeted. “We were not expecting you until later this evening. Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine,” Marinette assured the earnest middle-aged man. He was harmless enough and had good intentions, but sometimes he made Marinette uncomfortable. He kept calling her ‘mademoiselle,’ even when she asked him not to. He was so kind about it, though, she couldn’t push it too much.

“I will tell Mademoiselle Chloe you’ve returned.” The butler turned and left Marinette standing in the middle of the front room. Employee her ass; once he decided something, Marinette (and everyone else in the house) was powerless to stop him.

She slipped out of her shoes and carried them up to her room. She didn’t see her parents, but she figured they were in their room, looking at online listings for a new place they could afford. Mr. Bourgeois had assured them that they could stay, rent-free, as long as they needed until they could find a new home and a bakery to run. He’d all but insisted, actually. It had been incredibly kind, but so out of left field it had confused her and her family. Then, Chloe had shed some light on the subject.

It had been the first day Marinette and her family settled into the Bourgeois family’s home, two days after their bakery had been destroyed. They’d previously been staying in the bunkers until that point. The concrete rooms had not been built for comfort, and they permanently smelled of stale urine.

Her father, who took sleep very seriously, had not been in a very good mood from the lack of 1000 count sheets and memory foam mattress. Her mother was still mourning the loss of all Marinette’s baby pictures. Marinette had been grouchy from a loss of daily caffeine dosage. When Chloe and one of her employees had come to pick them up with no prior warning and announced that the Dupain-Chengs were welcome to stay at her house, no one had complained.

Her family had nearly swooned at the idea of a real bed, with real showers, and real toilets. They’d eagerly followed Chloe, stumbling over their feet as exhaustion had threatened to take them over. Chloe had handed Marinette a large thermos of coffee and spoke about a few details with her parents. Marinette had been too focused on the coffee to really pay any attention to anything else around her. By the time they’d reached Chloe’s house and her parents had been shown their room, however, Marinette had had enough presence of mind to ask why Chloe was doing this for them.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Chloe had asked, leading Marinette up a flight of stairs. “You helped me when I needed help. I’m just returning the favor.” Chloe had stopped them in front of a rich brown door and faced Marinette completely. “I’m only going to say this once, so pay attention. I want to be...a hero. Like y--like Ladybug. This is my first step towards that. So you’re staying here until I say you can leave.” And that was that.

Marinette hadn’t questioned it, there was no reason to. She had a feeling that admitting even that much had been tough for Chloe, but she’d done it. Chloe was finally growing up, and growing into the best version of herself. It had felt validating; after years of their antagonistic relationship, Chloe finally realized what Marinette had been trying to say, and in an effort towards becoming a better person, had offered Marinette and her family a place in her home until they could stand on their own feet again.

Marinette opened the door to her room and sat on her bed. It was bigger than she was used to, and softer. The room itself felt cold and impersonal. She hadn’t had the extra money to go buy decorations, and she hadn’t had the time to really make anything to personalize it, either. She’d been working her ass off with her family, trying to save enough money to either rent somewhere or deposit a down payment on a new bakery building. Today had been her first day off in over a month. Spending the day with Adrien and his fashion designer dad was supposed to be exciting and fun. Instead, it had just crushed another potential contact in the fashion industry. Marinette fell on her back. She pulled a pillow over her face and screamed.

“What’s your issue, Marinette?” Marinette pulled the pillow away from her face and turned to the newcomer in the room. Chloe strolled into the guest bedroom, casually closing the door behind her. She flopped on a chair in the corner and flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. Marinette didn’t respond for a moment, so Chloe coughed pointedly. Same old Chloe, just as impatient as always.

“I just got back from Adrien’s house.”

“Yeah, shouldn’t you be jumping off the walls, super excited?” Chloe leaned back in her chair and inspected her nails.

“I would, if I hadn’t been kicked out.”

“What?!” Chloe jumped up, eyes wide. “What did you do?”

“Ok, well it was a half and half thing,” Marinette amended, hugging the pillow to her chest. “I half got kicked out, I half walked out on my own.”

“You were with Gabriel all day, weren’t you? You were just supposed to go and do some design stuff and impress him, what could you possibly have done to get kicked out?!”

“Listen, nothing would have happened if Mr. Agreste hadn’t been such an ass.”

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but then changed her mind. She sat back in her chair.

“So, what exactly did he do?”

Marinette sighed, recalling the past few hours. An uncomfortable feeling churned in her stomach, and the words tasted bitter as they left her mouth. “Adrien came and asked us to have lunch with him. Mr. Agreste and I had just eaten a few minutes ago, but we still could’ve sat with him. Instead, Mr. Agreste shooed him away and told him to go eat the leftovers alone. There was a bit more, but that was enough for me. What kind of guy doesn’t even spare fifteen minutes a day to eat with his kid? That’s just screwed up, so I...told him.”

“That’s amazing,” Chloe said. “You know, he’s been like that since his wife disappeared.”

“That’s another thing!” Marinette sat up, suddenly animated. Chloe leaned back, not expecting such a surge of energy from her. “His wife disappeared. He thinks she was kidnapped, and who knows, maybe she was. If we stick to the kidnapping theory, then it wasn’t her choice to leave. Mr. Agreste is abandoning Adrien, and for some reason he’s blaming Adrien for wanting to spend time with him. Then Mr. Agreste has the nerve to get mad at me for standing up for my friend? That’s ridiculous!”

“Utterly ridiculous,” Chloe muttered absent-mindedly. Then she blinked. “Wait, did you mention his wife like that?”

“Maybe not those exact words, but more or less, yeah,” Marinette scoffed. She fell back on the bed, her body sore and tense. She sighed and pulled the pillow back over her head.

“Oh my god, Marinette,” Chloe said, her voice a little muted from the pillow. One notable change in Chloe was that she now went out of her way to say her name. It was strange after years of being called ‘Dupain-Cheng,’ but Marinette wasn’t complaining.

“And now I’ve burned another bridge in the industry,” Marinette groaned. “This is the worst.”

“I mean, I feel for you, I guess,” Chloe said, “But holy shit, that’s amazing! Before you, everyone was too intimidated by their money to bother standing up to our parents for us. I know we could have, but it’s really hard when you’re there. It’s like you can’t complain because your mom or dad gives you all this money, so you have no right to complain. I know it sucks for you and your future or whatever, but honestly, I don’t think you know how much this means for me and Adri-cat. So, thanks.”

Marinette was glad she had the pillow over her face. Chloe was right. She was doing the right thing, like she always did. She’d seen someone act horribly, and she’d told them to their face. What was wrong with that? She’d never felt this conflicted about it before. Chloe kept talking, but Marinette was only half paying attention.

“When I was little, my mom would tell my dad to shut me up by carting me off with babysitters, or by buying me toys so I would stay occupied. It worked until I was like, thirteen, but by that point I understood how hard my parents worked to earn all this money, and it felt impossible to talk to them about anything because they were like strangers to me.”

Marinette’s face heated, and her nose stung. As much as what she was doing was right for her in the present, what about her future? Marinette was still planning on being a fashion designer; there was nothing else she could imagine herself as. But, she’d now cut ties with Aubrey Clarence and Gabriel Agreste. There was a chance she was well on her way to being black-listed in the industry now. She had no names on her side, and no money. As much as creativity and innovation was important in fashion, so were connections. If she didn’t have a sponsor, or someone to help her get into the bigger shows, to give her bigger and better opportunities, she was going to end up struggling her whole life, like her Aunt Marie.

Chloe’s voice continues, providing just enough noise in the room to keep Marinette from drowning in her own thoughts: “The one who was the most like a dad to me was honestly Gabriel. Now he’s becoming just like my dad. It feels a little like a betrayal, if I’m being honest. He spent hours with me when I was a kid, helping me with homework or just playing with me. He used to hold me when I cried about missing my dad, even though my dad lived in the same house; he knows how much it hurts a kid when their parent decides to leave them emotionally abandoned. For whatever reason, though, he’s now decided to do that to Adri-cat. To be honest, I’m furious with him. I wish I was further from the situation. I wish I could talk to him the way I know you did.”

Normally, Marinette would have been fine with the idea of not doing well, financially, but things were different now. If she had a home, a family business, some sort of security, it would have been a lot easier to say she only needed a loyal clientele who appreciated her designs more than a label. Now that her family was essentially homeless, it was a lot harder not to think about the ramifications of destroying her career before it had really even started.

“I hate to say this, but Agreste, the fashion house, isn’t doing so hot. Gabriel’s hemorrhaging money, and there might be a point where he has no company to prioritize over his son. When that happens, and he tries to talk to Adri-cat again, what’s going to happen?”

Yeah, what does a family do when it has no money? Forget about Gabriel and Adrien, what was Marinette going to do? Mentally, she knew her home was destroyed, all gone. Everything which could have been salvaged from inside had already been salvaged. That hadn’t been much, just a few books and an indestructible couch which Nonna had given them ten years ago. They hadn’t been able to salvage any pictures, any electronics, any clothes. Mentally, Marinette knew it was all gone. Emotionally, it was impossible to accept that everything in her life had been destroyed, and that she was a blank slate.

She hadn’t even totally accepted the fact that her home was gone; how was she supposed to move past it and think about the future? Did she even have a future? It felt like she was adrift, nothing to her name and no plan. That house had always been there, a rock, a promise of something to fall back on if everything else in her life went wrong. Now it was gone.

A sob escaped her. Chloe stopped talking. Marinette held her breath, trying to tamp down the tears.

“Marinette?” Chloe said. “Are you ok?”

“Of course I’m not fucking alright!” Marinette once again pulled the pillow away from her face and turned to glare at Chloe. “Nothing is alright. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Well first of all, you can calm down, Du--Marinette. What exactly are you talking about?”

“I threw it away again!” Marinette scowled, ignoring the tears that slid down her face. “I threw away another connection because Mr. Agreste turned out to be a shitty dad. I shouldn’t feel this conflicted about what I did, I’ve never felt conflicted about standing up for someone--ever. But now I’m homeless, my parents are jobless, and I have nothing for me in the future!” The tears came faster, and it was getting harder to breathe. Marinette turned away from Chloe, curling into herself. Why was she saying all this? What could Chloe possibly do to help? She shouldn’t burden others with her problems, especially if they have no idea what she was going through.

Someone entered the room.

“Make some mac ‘n cheese and bring it up!” Chloe snapped at them. There must have been a momentary silence, but Marinette heard the sound of her own breath, her own sobs, echoing in her ears.

“I had someone make us hot chocolate when I heard you came back,” Chloe sat down awkwardly next to Marinette on the bed. “Sit up and eat it or you’ll waste it.”

Marinette was still shaking with tears. It was impossible to do anything. Chloe sighed and reached over to pull her up. Chloe grunted in surprise,

“What the heck? How are you this heavy?”

She didn’t want to, but Marinette briefly found herself smiling, pulling herself together enough to sit up. As much as she wanted to keep drowning in despair, as much as she wanted to sob until she fell asleep, it was just impossible to do so when someone else was there with her, going through the effort of trying to make her feel better. Chloe reached to the bedside table and handed her a heavy mug of hot chocolate.

“It’s milk-based,” Chloe said, sipping her own cup. “Not an ounce of water.”

Marinette held it but continued to sniffle. Her stomach felt swollen and she thought if she ate she’d give herself a stomach ache. Still, the warm drink felt nice in her hands. Chloe cautiously moved an inch closer to Marinette, then another inch.

“Go on,” Chloe urged. “Just one sip. I had it made for you, and I won’t stand for you not drinking it.”

Marinette rolled her swollen eyes and pretended to take a sip. The smell of rich chocolate invaded her nose and she closed her eyes. It wasn’t the comfort of coffee, but hot chocolate was a close second. Her dad used to make the best hot chocolate in their kitchen. He’d always make her a cup on the first snow of the year, and whenever she was sick. A lump formed in her throat.

“No, no more of that crying!” Chloe demanded. “I’m trying to be nice, and when you cry I have no clue what to do!”

There wasn’t much to say to that, so Marinette stayed silent, tears dripping down her face.

“Maybe your dad would be a better help--stay here, I’ll go get Mr. Dupain.” Chloe started to get up, but Marinette stopped her.

“No,” her throat felt raw, but she forced the words out anyway. Marinette knew that if Tom came and saw her crying, he’d only cry with her, and that would be an actual disaster. They’d sit together and cry for a while and Marinette would spend the rest of the day feeling worse than before. No. Chloe might not be much help, but she was still better than her dad would be in this situation.

“Ok,” Chloe gingerly sat down again, glancing at the door. “Someone should be coming with mac ‘n cheese soon. That’ll help.”

“How would that possibly help?” Marinette cried. “My life is ruined--I have nothing going for me in the present, and somehow I’ve done everything possible to ruin my future! How is a plate of mac ‘n cheese going to help?”

Someone opened the door. It was one of the staff members who Mr. Bourgeois hired. Marinette didn’t know her name; she hadn’t had the chance to ask. They never spoke and exited the room as quickly as possible. The staff member placed a tray on the floor, close to Chloe’s legs, then left. Then, the staff member was gone.

“First of all, Marinette,” Chloe reached down and grabbed one of the bowls on the tray. Inside was a steaming bowl of gooey, cheesy macaroni and cheese. “It’s not a plate of mac ‘n cheese, it’s a bowl.” Chloe shoved the bowl in Marinette’s hand and dropped a spoon in it, too. She took the other bowl for herself. “Second of all, you’re not ruining your future. You can’t have a future if you don’t have a personality. You might suck at being nice, or generous, or helpful--but you’re full of personality, so you’ll get something in the future. And what the heck are you talking about ‘you don’t have a future?’ You’re here, aren’t you? You’re staying at my house, your friends come over, your parents use the kitchens to cater so you have money. You have a lot, so quit acting like a crybaby, eat your mac ‘n cheese, and shut up.”

Chloe dug her spoon into her bowl of macaroni. Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe shoved the spoon of food into her mouth. She gave her a warning look, so Marinette didn’t speak. The room was quiet, except for the occasional sniffle from Marinette, or the clanking of spoons against bowls.


	4. Saturday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has fun at an impromptu party.  
> Emelie does not have fun in her cell.

Adrien stared hard at the screen in front of him, still researching for his history project. He'd already been working for two hours, and it still felt like he was getting nowhere. In all honesty, the project wasn't too difficult; he just had to look up information about a historical figure, write a five page paper on them and their contribution to their country, and then make a poster on them. It wasn’t too bad, especially since it was a partner project.

Well, it was supposed to be a partner project.

Chloe continued talking, her voice like white noise that chattered incessantly in the background. She'd been telling Adrien of the latest news in Avril Butler’s love life for twenty minutes now and it didn't seem like she was going to stop anytime soon. Adrien absently nodded, trying to create the proper citation for the newest source he'd found online. Nino sat by his side, somehow actually interested in Chloe's story.

“So then _that’s_ when Avril Butler finally broke up with Elizabeth!” Chloe said excitedly. She took a deep breath to continue, but Nino cut her off:

“Wait, but I thought that was a rumor?” Adrien rubbed his eyes, wishing contacts didn’t dry his eyes out so much. Nino hadn't so much as looked at their paper in an hour. Adrien glanced at him, but Nino was fully fixated on Chloe and Avril Butler's story. “Didn’t he write a song about her later?” Nino pulled out his phone and scrolled through his saved songs, showing her the _Jagged Stone_ song, 'Elizabeth.'

“Ok, so actually it was a rumor that it was a rumor,” Chloe perked up, more than happy to talk to Nino if it meant someone was willing to engage with her reporting. "Everyone said that it was a rumor they broke up, but _that_ was the actual rumor. They'd totally broken up, but some die-hard Avrilizabeth fans went everywhere they possibly could and said that they hadn't broken up, and they said it with such conviction that they actually convinced, like, magazines and stuff!"

"Woah," Nino said. "That's crazy. How did you find out about this, then?"

Chloe responded, but Adrien wasn't listening. He was too tired. He'd been sitting on the floor for the past two hours, hunched over his laptop. He looked up at the bed. He should've just gone up there when Marinette had told him to. But _no_ , he'd just had to be stubborn and sit on the floor for no good reason. Now his ass was numb and his back hurt. Adrien looked up from his computer, too tired to do much more work. He stretched, cracking his back and groaning when his spine cracked.

“Gross,” Alya shuddered, “I hate when people crack their bones--the noise is disgusting.” She lay between Chloe and Marinette on the bed. She'd been partnered with Marinette for this history project, so Marinette had invited her over to study, or so the story went. Alya had gone over and also called Nino. Since Nino was Adrien’s partner, Adrien came along, too. Chloe didn’t invite her partner, Juleka, but she insisted on spending the afternoon with everyone. It wasn’t like anyone was going to tell her to leave; this was her house. And honestly, since she'd distanced herself a little from Sabrina, other people were finding it a lot easier to get along with Chloe. It was really nice to see that, especially when the other person was Marinette. Adrien couldn't explain why, but it was the best feeling when he saw Chloe and Marinette interact and not look like they were facing down death. 

Chloe had been there for Adrien since before he could remember. Audrey and Gabriel had been friendly colleagues for years, so they’d introduced their kids early on. Since their first meeting, the two had been nearly inseparable. They’d had countless playdates and sleepovers, they’d gone to the same summer camps, and they knew practically everything about each other. Adrien had shown the worst parts of himself to Chloe, and he’d never once feared that she would leave him because she found him too weird or strange. Likewise, Chloe had shared her vulnerabilities with him, and she didn’t think he would hold them against her. Chloe was his best friend, practically his sister.

Marinette was special in a different way. They hadn’t known each other as long as he and Chloe had known each other, but sometimes it was hard to remember that. She understood him in a way even Chloe couldn’t sometimes, and she was so easy to talk to, he found himself going to her or her family for the smallest things. He knew she was great, and he really liked her. In some ways, she reminded him of Chloe. Both of them stood up for what they believed in, both didn’t tolerate disrespect, and both could be unnecessarily stubborn over the dumbest things. Marinette, though, wasn’t as easily swayed as Chloe sometimes was--she always knew what she believed in, and she never wavered, even if what she had to say was hurtful. And, Marinette was a lot more brave than Chloe--and braver than Adrien, too. Sometimes it was hard to believe she was real. But she was, and he still had a chance with her, if only he could figure out how to get her to like him, too.

“So, basically,” Chloe was saying, “They had a contract to stay together for two years, and sometimes they were supposed to cause scandals because it would generate interest for both of them. You know Elizabeth Espinoza is an internet influencer, right? Yeah, so it was mutually beneficial.”

“Just get to the point,” Marinette said. “You’re going to bore him to death.”

“Shut up, Marinette,” Chloe said, no heat behind her words. “I’m establishing the background. There’s more to reporting than just stating the facts.”

“I can confirm,” Alya spoke up. “How do you think the Ladyblog is doing so well? I always give background information for the fight, and the Akuma victim, and I get interviews when possible. The more you involve someone's emotions, the more invested they get in the story.”

“Wait, there's more to the Avril Butler breakup story?” Nino asked. Adrien read the sentence in front of him for the third time, and retained just as little as the last two times. Chloe moved closer to Alya, peeking over her shoulder to see what she was doing on her computer.

“Your blog is dumb,” Chloe said. Alya rolled her eyes.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re insulting my blog,”

“I thought she _was_ insulting your blog?” Nino asked. Adrien switched tabs and wrote a couple of more sentences for the paper, then went back to the article he was reading. Marinette scoffed,

“No, she’s just saying it’s dumb that a civilian made a more reliable news source for Parisians than the official Parisian news channels are.”

"Chloe, maybe you should work on not omitting about ninety percent of what you're thinking when you speak." Nino said. "'Cuz, Dude, that's just confusing."

Adrien closed his laptop and put it to the side. He’d been working on the project alone for the past two hours. He was tired of working and stressing about the project when everyone else seemed to be fine not worrying about it. “So, you guys are friends now?” Adrien rubbed his eyes and sat back, looking up between Chloe and Marinette.

“Yeah,” Marinette and Chloe exchanged glances and smiled at each other. “I guess you were right for once. She's not that bad.”

"Not that bad?" Chloe huffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I am a gift to humanity, and a gift to you. Show some proper respect."

“So now we’re all in agreement that I’m never wrong, right?” Adrien asked. Marinette looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “So, I also think you and I would make a great couple--let’s go out and you can prove me right.” Marinette rolled her eyes, and Chloe went back to looking through the Ladyblog with Alya.

“I feel like I’m fifth-wheeling,” Nino complained. “No one will even finish telling me the Avril Butler story!”

“Basically, he broke up with Elizabeth Espinoza and then got with April Lapours and they got engaged when they’d only been dating three weeks. Now it looks like April is cheating on Avril Butler with his ex-bandmate, Terrance Meurille. So, there’s talk that they’re going to break up, and maybe he'll get back with Elizabeth Espinoza but who knows.” Marinette deadpanned. Chloe grabbed a pillow and smacked Marinette on the back with it. Marinette didn't look like she'd noticed, let alone cared. 

“You ruined the entire story!” Chloe complained. “You can’t say it all at once like that--you didn’t mention the dates, or the tweets, or the photos--you have to get him emotionally invested to get him to understand the severity of the situation!”

“Avril Butler is his favorite musician,” Marinette said. “He’s already emotionally invested, and you gave up telling Nino the story to go flirt with Alya.”

Chloe’s face paled, and Adrien almost felt bad for her. He probably would’ve felt worse if she hadn’t been making fun of his feelings for Marinette a couple of hours ago. He would've been happy to bail Chloe out if she hadn't _just_ been making fun of how pathetic and whipped Adrien got when he was around Marinette. Nope. He was fine to just watch the situation play out. 

"Who can blame her? Alya's got great hair, and Chloe has a thing for curly hair." Adrien shrugged non-chalantly. Adrien smiled up at Marinette, and Chloe glared at him. _'I'll get back at you,'_ she mouthed. Adrien disregarded her. 

Alya laughed. “Sure, sure--do you think that’ll get us to forget about Adrien asking you out literally two seconds ago? Give the poor guy an answer, won’t you?”

“Yeah, Dude, tell him ‘yes,’” Nino added. 

“Nah, he wasn’t serious." Marinette said. "Were you?”

“Dead serious,” Adrien answered. Marinette rolled her eyes. She totally didn't believe him. He tried not to let it hurt; she had been brushing him off for months now. What exactly did he need to do to make her understand he was serious? Or maybe she knew he was serious and was just trying to let him down easily. But that didn't make much sense; Marinette had many traits and habits, but she had never been one to diplomatically say something, or sugar-coat harsh news. She probably honestly thought he was just messing around. Adrien sighed. Marinette got off the bed and sat next to him, leaning against his side. Adrien turned to face her more, slightly turning his back on Nino. Nino grumbled behind him.

“Fine. I’ll just invite Alix and Kim over. They won’t ignore me, at least.”

“They totally would,” Alya said. Adrien nodded in silent agreement. 

“Especially if I pull up a couple of computer games,” Marinette added. “I downloaded some two-player games on Chloe’s laptop earlier. If I tell them about it, you’d be the last thing on their minds.”

“We’ll see about that,” Nino said, pulling out his phone.

“So while they’re here ignoring Nino, we’ll be out on our date?” Adrien tried. He tried not to put too much hope in his voice. If she said no, he could just play it off as a joke, like he’d been doing for the past six months. Marinette leaned up next to him and pulled out her phone. So, she was just going to ignore it, then. Adrien tried to ignore the stinging disappointment in his chest. It was such an intense feeling, he rubbed his chest to try and soothe the ache. It didn't really work, though. Alya glanced up and looked at him sympathetically. Chloe pointed to something on the screen in front of them and Alya went back to checking on her blog.

“Let’s go play laser tag,” Marinette said, pulling up a website. “I found this place. I’ve never been, but it seems fun. We should go.”

“Now?” Adrien asked, heart jumping in his chest. “So, you’re saying yes to the date?” 

“Now, yes. Date, no,” she said, looking at her phone. “I like someone, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” Adrien said. “Um, Cat Noir, right?” He bit the inside of his cheek. It was weird to be let down because the person you like says they like someone else, but that someone else is just you with longer, darker hair and a stupid costume on.

“Oh, come on,” Chloe complained. “He’s a superhero--he’s practically not even real!”

“Yeah,” Alya agreed. “What are the odds Cat Noir is going to come up to you and ask you out?”

“Think about it,” Nino leaned towards her, crowding in Adrien’s space and throwing an arm over his shoulders. Adrien reciprocated the gesture. He could always count on Nino to be his wingman. “Our boy’s right here, and he likes you for whatever reason. Take him before he comes to his senses and you’re left old, alone, and sad.” Yeah, Nino was the best wingman out there. He really had a way of hyping Adrien up that no one else had. 

“You’ve been talking to my mom,” Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. Nino raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m just saying you’re too intense for most people; you can’t be too picky when you’re...you.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?” Chloe demanded from on top of the bed. “She doesn’t have to settle for anyone--Cat Noir would be lucky to date her!”

“Chloe, who’s side are you on?” Adrien complained.

“Marinette’s.” She answered immediately. She pointed at her. “Adri-cat is great, so he’s not someone you ‘settle’ for, but if you want Cat Noir, go for it.”

“We can call out for him on the Ladyblog,” Alya suggested. “I’m not sure he’d agree, but maybe he would meet you.”

“Cat Noir reads the Ladyblog?” Nino asked. “How do you know?”

“Reporter’s intuition,” Alya said. “I see all, I feel all, I report all.” Chloe giggled, and Alya looked pleased with herself.

“Chloe, you don’t need to laugh at her dumb jokes just because you like her,” Adrien said. Chloe went red.

“I don’t! It was just funny, alright?”

“So, you don’t want to go laser tagging?” Marinette asked. “I thought it’d be fun to go with everyone, but if it’s not something you’re interested in, I can find something else.”

“Can you even afford to go out and pay for something fun to do right now?” Alya asked. “I’m sorry if this comes off a little insensitive, but I thought you were...broke?”

“Adrien would pay for me,” Marinette said immediately. Adrien nodded in agreement. 

“Palm Face, it’s rude to steal. Actually, it might also be illegal.”

“Shut up, I’m not stealing! He’s rich, alright? He said it was fine!”

“Yeah, I have my dad’s debit card,” Adrien explained. “If I spend over two hundred euros in a day, he’ll come talk to me at dinner.”

“What an asshole,” Nino muttered under his breath. Chloe frowned down at him, and Adrien could practically feel the rant about how Gabriel needed to get his shit together. Normally, it was nice to hear someone stand up for him like that, but at the moment, Adrien really didn't want to think about his dad. He just wanted to be in the moment, and now have it ruined by anything. 

“If you frown, you’ll get wrinkles,” Adrien told her. “Alya, poke her forehead and tell her to stop.”

“Like this?” Alya poked Chloe in between the eyebrows with enough force to snap Chloe’s head back.

“A little like that, but maybe less aggressive next time,” Adrien suggested.

“Yeah, try to wipe her frown away, don’t snap her head off,” Nino got off the floor and sat next to Chloe on the bed. “Are you ok?” He reached down and felt around Chloe's neck, trying to massage it. 

“Leave me alone, you idiot,” Chloe said, smacking Nino's hands away. “Don’t touch my neck. She didn't smack my head back, that was all me. I was just trying to keep her grubby hands from touching my face!”

“Uh huh,” Marinette said, clearly not believing her. “I’ll tell Mom you’re lying again.”

“Again?” Adrien asked. “What happened the first time?”

“I wasn’t lying!” Chloe defended. Alya turned back to studying her laptop. Nino rested his chin on his crossed arms, lying on his stomach like Chloe and Alya.

“She got a cold and told my mom she was fine,” Marinette summed up. “When Mom took her temperature, she wasn’t happy.”

“I wasn’t lying!” Chloe insisted. “I didn’t know I was sick!”

“So Mom made her soup and spent the night with her.”

“She lectured me the whole time,” Chloe moaned. Nino winced sympathetically.

“Yikes,” he said. “I’ve never told her I was fine when I was sick, but one time I told Sabine I was full when I wasn’t full. My mom had just told me I was overweight and I needed to lose some kilos, so I was trying to limit how much food I was eating. Anyway, I went over to Marinette’s house the next day and when Marinette told Sabine why I’d refused seconds, she got so mad at me I always finish three servings when I eat dinner with her now.”

“That sounds like Mrs. Cheng,” Chloe agreed. "One time I wasn't very hungry and I told her--"

"You _told her_ you weren't hungry?" Nino asked, aghast.

"Bad move," Marinette agreed. "She'll never make that mistake again."

"She was so mad, Mrs. Cheng gave me a long lecture and kept poking me, saying I was too skinny and I needed to eat more. So annoying."

"Say 'annoying' all you want," Alya hummed, still scrolling through her computer. "We all know you like it."

“You can call her Sabine,” Adrien insisted. “She likes it.”

“Yeah, right,” Chloe said. “Unlike you, I actually do what people want me to. Because _I'm nice_.”

Marinette scoffed. “Are you serious? You, _nice?_ ” She turned to Adrien. Her blue eyes lit up with happiness, and Adrien wished she was like this more often; she’d been so stressed lately. She, of all people, deserved to just have a carefree afternoon with her friends, where she could just hang out, chat, laugh, and procrastinate on homework. “She’s joking, right?”

“I’m nice, Marinette,” Chloe insisted. “Ask Sabrina!”

“I don’t see Sabrina anywhere here,” Adrien said. Everyone looked at him, shocked. Marinette started laughing.

“That’s so mean!” She managed to say between giggles. Nino struggled to keep a straight face.

“Is it...alright to say that?” He asked. "I thought making jokes about victims of Akuma powers was...not good?"

"It's funny, though, right?"

“No, it’s not!” Alya said. “She’s invisible--maybe forever; how could you say that?”

“I’m just stating facts,” Adrien said reasonably. “How am I supposed to ask Sabrina anything? I haven’t even seen her around lately.”

“That wasn’t funny the first time, and it isn’t funny now, either.” Chloe said. “She was my best friend--now she’s permanently invisible.”

“To be fair, she was horrible,” Adrien said.

“A total bitch,” Marinette tacked on.

“You’ve gotten so much nicer since you stopped hanging out with her,” Nino added.

“It’s not like I tried to abandon her or anything,” Chloe said. “She just disappears after class and I can’t find her!”

Marinette started laughing again, so hard that she rolled on her back and leaned against Adrien.

"I did not mean it like that!" 

Adrien reached down and pulled Marinette's hair out of her face, gathering it up on top of her head, and tied it in a loose bun. Nino mumbled at them to get a room, and Alya cooed. Chloe took a picture with a smirk on her face. Adrien's phone buzzed, and he knew she'd sent the picture to him. 

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and someone cried out in surprise. The door to the room burst open, and everyone looked at who had just entered. Kim stood in the entrance, wearing a pair of jeans and a warm red jacket. His hands were filled with plastic bags. They were both dripping wet, and quickly shed their coats. 

"It's raining pretty hard outside," Alix noted. "If you go out, make sure you wear a jacket."

"Okay, _Mom,_ " Alya rolled her eyes. 

“Guess who’s finally arrived?!” Kim exclaimed, holding up a bag from a convenience store. “Everyone’s favorite friend: the provider of snacks!” Alix walked in ahead of him, rolling her eyes. She wore black jeans, a cool astrological shirt, and a blue sweatshirt. Adrien studied her shirt. It looked so familiar, but he could've sworn he'd never seen it before. 

"Do you like her shirt?" Marinette asked, still lying on her back. She shifted and rested her head against Adrien's leg, basically using him like a pillow. Adrien tried to ignore it; she was just affectionate like that. She didn't mean anything by it--she liked someone else. Kind of. 

"Yeah, it's cool," Adrien answered. 

“Did you bring any candy?” Alya asked Kim. “Like, the sour and gummy kinds?”

“Kim brought some, but I got some candy for Marinette,” Alix said, grinning a little.

“But Marinette doesn’t like candy, right?” Adrien said, looking to Marinette for confirmation.

“She means eye candy,” she explained, sitting up and motioning for Alix to come show her whatever she had. Adrien's leg felt cold without her laying on it. He studied Alix's shirt again. Why did it look so familiar? 

“Are there any chips or brownies in there?” Chloe asked Kim, getting up and grabbing a bag from Kim and searching through it.

“No need to worry, ladies,” Kim said. “I have everything we could possibly need in these two bags.

“When’s the last time you checked the Ladyblog?” Alix asked Marinette.

“Like, ten minutes ago. Why?”

“Yes! Then look at this--it was uploaded three minutes ago!” Alix stuck her phone in Marinette’s face. Marinette squinted and took the phone out of Alix’s hand and moved it a little further from her face. Then her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Adrien leaned over to see what she was looking at. Scratch that, he leaned over to see _who_ she was looking at.

It was him. When he transformed into Cat Noir, his hair grew longer and turned black. In the picture, he was wielding his staff in bow and arrow form, pulling back the magic string and focusing in front of him. He had no idea how anyone had been able to take the picture, but he could understand why Marinette was so captivated by it.

Like always, he looked great. It wasn’t like he was boasting; it was just a fact. He was a model, and he was handsome. Of course he looked good in pictures, that was his whole job. He worked out all the time, especially since he’d become Cat Noir. His skin-tight suit showed off all his newly developed muscles, and the magic glow of the arrow and string cast a silver light on his face. Normally, Adrien would say he was a handsome guy. In that picture, though, he looked straight-up gorgeous. No wonder Marinette was sighing over him.

“He’s so pretty,” she said. Alix came and sat by her. Kim glanced down at her from where he was distributing snacks on the bed.

“Are you looking at that picture of Cat Noir?”

“Yeah,” Alix answered for her.

“I really like him,” Marinette said. “He’s so good.”

“He’s a superhero,” Alya said again.

“Yeah,” Nino said. “He’s probably playing up the whole ‘good superhero’ persona for the media. Not that that’s a bad thing or anything--don’t bite my head off.”

“Quit saying that, it’s annoying,” Marinette snapped. “I hate that expression--it makes no sense, and I haven't even said anything yet! Anyway, he’s not always playing a good guy. He gets mad, and he’s impulsive, and sometimes he’s stupid and does his own thing when he should just shut up and listen to Ladybug.”

“So, you just like him because he’s pretty?” Adrien asked, a little disheartened by her criticism.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Marinette said. “I like him because he’s nice and patient and good. Like, he’s so nice. And so sweet. It’s refreshing.”

This was a unique kind of torture. Adrien smiled uncomfortably.

“My dude here is also nice and patient.” 

“Yeah,” Kim jumped in. “And he’s so adorable. His nickname is Adri-cat. Come on, admit it. You can’t have a nickname like ‘Adri-cat’ and not be adorable.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Marinette grinned, pinching Adrien’s cheek. “You’re adorable.” He hoped his face wasn’t red, and he hoped she couldn’t hear how loudly his heart was beating. When she did things like this and said stuff like that, it was really hard not to seriously tell her exactly how much he liked her.

“But he’s blonde,” Alix said in mock sadness.

“What’s wrong with being blonde?” Chloe asked.

Marinette shrugged. “Nothing. I just prefer darker hair. Look at his--it’s so long and silky. I just want to touch it.”

“I want to braid it,” Alix sighed. “It looks so luxurious.”

“Back off, he’s mine,” Marinette said, no heat behind her words.

"Hey, Alix," Adrien said, desperate to change the subject. "Where did you get your shirt?"

"What, jealous?" Alix grinned. "Marinette made it for me,"

"I knew it looked familiar!" Adrien said. "It looks really nice, but it's not really my style."

"See, it has my signature in it," Marinette traced a few of the stars to spell out 'Marinette.' "I always sign my work."

“Oh! I hear there’s a new movie in theaters,” Nino said suddenly. “Alya, do you mind--”

“Sure. Tell me what it’s called, and I’ll look for bootleg versions online.”

“I’ll go get some drinks,” Marinette said, getting up. Adrien got up and walked out with her.

Adrien had been to Chloe’s house countless times before. He’d made the trip to her kitchen thousands of times before. He’s walked these hallways millions of times before. It had always been boring, mundane. Walking with Marinette, though, made the moment feel special. He'd made this trip so many times before, but something about this walk was special. He hoped he would never forget any moment with her, even something as normal and regular as walking from her room to the kitchen.

“What do you feel like?” Marinette asked, opening the pantry doors.

“Like going on a date with a pretty girl.”

“Fresh out of that, but we do have mountain dew or sprite.”

“No ginger ale?”

“Why do you always want the drinks I like?” Marinette asked, taking out a couple cans of ginger ale, along with a few cans of different drinks for everyone else. "If you keep drinking all the ginger ale, there'll be none left for me."

“We’re just soulmates, what can I say?” Adrien grabbed a few drinks from her arms. She let him help her. "Besides, if you run out I'll just get you some more." 

"Yeah, you're my soulmate. In like a best friend type of way.”

"I'm your best friend?" It wasn't exactly what Adrien wanted, but it was still exhilarating to hear. A year ago, Adrien only had Chloe. Chloe was great, but she was more like family, less a friend. It was different to get to know someone after you'd grown up, someone you had to work to have a relationship with. Of course, Adrien wanted more with Marinette, but this? Being her friend--her _best_ friend--that was good, too. For now, that was enough.

"Of course. Something about you...I don't know. You're just special to me, you know?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

They walked into the room. Everyone was already huddled together on the bed, Alya’s laptop set up at the foot of the bed. Marinette and Adrien handed everyone their respective drink and then snuggled together on one side of the bed.

An hour and a half later, Adrien didn’t remember much about the movie, but he did remember everything Marinette told him about the actors in the film, and the costume designer. He would remember how excited Nino got as he realized the music composer was George Pullman, or how offended Nino got when no one knew who that was. He would remember how Kim and Chloe started arguing about whether or not the main character was pathetic or inspirational. It wasn’t the movie which makes a party fun, it’s the people.

* * *

“Fabricate Reality!” Pisces's voice reverberated through the small cabin. Her voice was soothing enough, but Emelie hated it, hated Pisces herself. Emelie had never hated anyone as much as she hated Pisces. Pisces blew a bubble into the air. The bubble expanded and grew, flattening out. Inside, small magical symbols appeared and started to glow. 

The temperature lowered. Emelie shivered from inside of her cell. She’d been here for so long. She’d known it had been weeks, maybe even months...but two years? The woman who'd come to her had no reason to lie. How could it have been two years? What had happened to Agreste Industries in that time? How was Gabriel managing to bring in profit? How could he survive without her? Had he managed to stay safe? She’d been stuck in this hellhole for so long she’d witnessed Pisces evolve, growing stronger and more advanced. It was terrifying.

At first, when Pisces said the words, her bubble would turn into a simple blue circle with a symbol in the middle. Then, the symbol would change and shift into a figure and zoom away through the air. The circle would stay in the air, and Pisces would watch as her Makara destroyed Paris. Over time, the magic circle had gotten bigger, and more symbols appeared in it. The circles changed colors, depending on Pisces’s mood, and it would affect the Makara.

Pisces would stand in front of Emelie every time before she summoned another Makara: _“Will you go back? Will you fix it?”_

Emelie shivered again. Pisces noticed and reached out to the wall, turning the heat up on the thermostat. Emelie wanted to scream and shout, to spit and rage. Instead, she glared at her. So, Pisces cared whether or not Emelie froze to death, but she wouldn't return her home? Didn’t Pisces care that Emelie had a life outside of this place? She had a company to run, family she missed, a husband who loved her.

A husband who she loved.

Just the thought of Gabriel made Emelie’s heart squeeze in pain. At first, she hadn’t liked him very much. He’d been a little boring, a little too good and nice for her taste. But then, he’d allowed her to steal designs for him; he’d allowed her to be the shadow to his light, and they’d both benefited from it. He let her be who she was, and he hadn't judged her. He’d turned a blind eye to it every time, and he’s prospered as a result. He'd been happy, excited every time. He’d married her for what she could do for him, for what she had done for him. He liked to act like he didn’t know, like he actually was the one who designed his top-selling clothes. She let him pretend all he wanted; if he let her be her dark self, she would allow him his own indulgence. She knew there was no way he didn’t know. He knew exactly what she was, what she did, and he still loved her. She loved him for that. She could never live with herself if he left her.

The blue circle in front of Pisces glowed a little brighter and then changed to purple. Emelie felt swallowed by a wave of fear. Over the weeks, she’d learned different colors meant different things. The purple meant Pisces was scared, the green meant she was stressed, the silver meant she was sad. The pink was Emelie’s least favorite; it meant Pisces was happy. It always infuriated Emelie when Pisces’s power made her feel happy. Emelie was stuck in a small concrete cage, like an animal, yet Pisces was allowed to come and go as she pleased, to go do whatever, and even be happy? It was disgusting.

The symbols in the magic circle swirled together and created the image of a creature: it was round, like a wheel, and covered in thousands of small scales. It looked about a foot wide in diameter, but Emelie knew better than to trust the image. Any second now, the image would fly through the air and land somewhere in Paris, where it would grow to the size of a building or larger. Then it would start its rampage, and Pisces would stand and watch with an anxious look on her face. Pisces would ask her every few minutes for the entire duration of the attack to just give in, to just do as she asked. Emelie would never agree. People like that, who acted like they cared about people but would still hurt them to attain their own goals, disgusted Emelie the most. That's why she never allowed herself to pretend to be anything but who she was. She would hurt anyone who got in her way, and she would never pretend like she wouldn't.

But, as horrible as the Makara were, and as much as Emelie hated them, she had to admit that there was a silver lining to the attacks. As long as the Makara continued to attack Paris, Gabriel would know she was alive, and he would have faith that she could return. He would wait for her, she knew. That’s just the kind of person he was. When he loved, he loved completely. It had taken her years to get him to move on from his childhood best friend, Natasha.

Emelie closed her eyes. She’d spent so much time with that girl, and yet she still couldn’t figure out what Gabriel had ever seen in her. She had been naïve to a fault, so antisocial and strange that it had been embarrassing to be out in public with her. And she’d been so ugly. How could a man as beautiful as Gabriel have ever loved such an unattractive, pathetic girl?

Emelie shook her head and opened her eyes. What was the point of thinking about that now? She hadn’t thought about Natasha in years, since she’d gotten married. That had been the last time she'd had to worry about Gabriel changing his mind and choosing Natasha over her. Now it was over. There was no point in thinking about the woman Gabriel had once loved; he now only had one person in his heart: Emelie Adrienne Agreste.

The words from the strange woman with red-tipped hair came back to her, echoing in her head. He hadn’t let her in, he hadn’t spoken with her, even after she’d told him her middle name. How was that possible? She was his entire world--he should have been over the moon for any information, let alone a hand-written note from Emelie herself. What was wrong? Was he beginning to forget her? Then why would he still be protecting Paris?

Emelie thought back to the first day Pisces had captured her, what she had wanted. It was impossible.

_“Gabriel Agreste is a liar and deserves everything coming his way. The people around him don’t. I know you have the Rabbit Miraculous, there's no point in denying it. You can manipulate time. Just go back thirty years and right his mistake; keep him from ruining my life. That’s all. Do this one thing, and I’ll let you go. You can keep thousands from danger--just go back and change my fate.”_

Of course Emelie had denied having a Miraculous. She wouldn’t agree to something like that. Obviously, Pisces thought it had been Gabriel who had cheated in the competition which got him started on the path to where he was now. She clearly didn’t know the truth. If she did, there was no telling what Pisces would do to her. Emelie couldn't chance Pisces doing something to her which would potentially convince her to go back. There was no way she would go back and change anything. If Gabriel didn’t win that competition, Agreste Industries wouldn’t exist, Gabriel wouldn’t have married her, and she wouldn’t be as well-off as she currently was.

She would bear with the confinement, with the cold, with the loneliness and fear. She would do so and wouldn’t complain, as long as nothing in her life changed. She’d worked too hard to go back to a life of poverty and difficulty. She would easily watch Paris crumble to the ground if it meant she could stay married to Gabriel Agreste, millionaire and top-tier fashion designer.


	5. Saturday Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien are forced to face their fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually don't like to do chapter notes because I like to let the work speak for itself, but I just wanted to give a special shout-out to slimeeeee and Impzura for your absolutely amazing comments! My sister and I read them and it somehow re-invigorated us to start writing again, so thank you so much!
> 
> Also, I just wanted to say that we'd appreciate any constructive criticism you guys give us as we get back in the groove of writing (especially on this chapter summary). A chapter used to take 4-5 hours to write, but this one took a good 9 hours haha. Anyway, thank you so much and we look forward to the rest of this season!

Marinette swung her yo-yo around her in a circle, like a lasso, forcing herself to keep her eyes open. The wind pierced through her suit, and the rain stung at her face. Her hair was drenched. The stupid transformation made her hair so short that it lay flat directly in front of her eyes. It was impossible to see anything. She flicked her hair to the side, and the figures surrounding her became visible again.

The Akuma flew above her, cackling as it rushed through the streets. It blew sand into the apartments and streets, causing more nightmares to pop up to torment her. Cat Noir slammed into a building off to the side, but immediately launched himself back at the Makara. He didn’t even so much as pause to look at any figures around him. If she didn’t know any better, Marinette would have sworn he had no fear. But she was living this with him; she knew. He was forcing himself to push through it, to ignore his fears, to go at the Makara with everything he had so he didn’t distract himself and fail the city.

Marinette wished she could do the same. Before tonight, Marinette would have sworn she was only afraid of death and her coffee not being strong enough. Now, she knew better. Every single fear came at her, laughing at her and jeering. Their words pierced through the shattering rain and the moans of the Makara. The only thing louder than her fears, was the Akuma itself.

The Akuma was strange tonight. He seemed like a small boy. He kept singing to himself, pointing at things and creating a sand which would form into a nightmare figure. He would occasionally go after the Makara, but that didn’t seem to interest him very much. He mainly glided around the city himself, just singing and swaying side to side with his eyes half shut. Surrounding him were half-formed shadows, nightmares ready to be molded into someone’s worst fear.

His powers weren’t limited to dark and ominous figures, though. In all the flat surfaces around her, Marinette could see scenes with people she loved: days at the beach with her parents, training with her cousins, and shopping trips to fabric stores with her aunt. Then, they would change. The images would pause, shadows would overtake everything, and one by one everything would be ruined. Her parents would be swallowed by the sea. Her cousins were killed by rival gang-members. Her aunt would be taken and changed by an Akuma. Her family would be massacred, and Marinette would be left alive, unscathed, and unable to help them. She was completely helpless.

It wasn’t just that she was just watching the images, free to look away whenever she wanted. She was sucked into every scene she saw. If she happened to glance at a flat surface, she would be sucked into the scene, and live out the scenario.

Realistically, she knew she was only sucked into each scenario for an instant, but it felt like such a long time. It was exhausting. Her body shook from the continuous onslaught of fear, her mind felt like melting, begging for her bed.

She wasn’t sure how long she and Cat Noir had been fighting the Akuma and Makara, but she knew she couldn’t last much longer.

She wished she could go back in time, to just an hour ago. She wanted to go back to the movie she’d just been watching with Alya, Nino, Kim, Alix, Chloe, and Adrien. Then she could see the look on Nino’s face when she handed him a freshly made loaf of his favorite bread again. She could listen to Alya blabbering to Nino and Chloe about her blog, and could watch Chloe start to open up without being defensive and rude about it. She could call for another round of hot chocolate and compete with Alix to see who could drink theirs the fastest. She could be there again to exchange a look with Alix as Kim tried to casually talk about Nathaniel. She could lean against Adrien and tell him everything she knew about a scene when she could tell he was bored or scared. She missed the feeling of happiness and comfort being with him and the rest of her friends gave her.

An hour ago, she was almost able to forget about this half of her life. Now she was here fighting a superpowered nightmare boy and a scaled tire in the rain and cold.

A figure tackled her, taking the form of a giant muscular man. That was nice. Though the screen images were terrifyingly personal, the physical, moving figures were generic fears of the population. Marinette had already killed 4 giant spiders and a few petty criminals.

Ladybug ducked under the figure’s punch and jabbed him in the stomach. It stumbled backwards, into a puddle, and splashed her with water. Before he could recover she spun around to get behind him and kicked him in the back. The figure fell to the ground, and Marinette’s eyes caught sight of the wall behind it. The white wall dimmed, then expanded, and Marinette was sucked into yet another scene.

* * *

_Her mother and Nino were playfully arguing in her living room. The room was just as cozy as always; clean, but lived in. The rug was worn from the years of use, and there was a stain on the corner from when Marinette dropped a mug of hot chocolate on it when she was eight. It smelled like freshly made cake and vanilla essence. There was faint music playing in the background--Nino was showing her mom his newest song._

_The walls were covered in ribbons, there was a table set up with cake, presents, and confetti, and there was a computer set up to video call Marie. Most of the preparations for Tom’s surprise birthday party were finished, there was only one thing left: placing the balloons in the room. Sabine and NIno were trying to stick a giant ball of balloons on the ceiling, like a cloud, but couldn’t agree on the exact placement._

_“It should be in the center, like a chandelier,” Sabine was saying._

_“It would look better closer to the empty wall!” Nino argued, gesturing to the wall close to the table with cake and confetti. “Then we can take pictures with it!”_

_“We can take pictures of the whole room. We can have Tom stand in the middle, and we’d still be able to see it.” Sabine moved her stool closer to the center of the room, but Nino took it from her, holding it above his head._

_“But we wouldn’t be able to see you or Marinette!”_

_On and on the argument went, and Marinette went to turn on the TV to play some games before her dad came home. It was his birthday. Usually Marinette let him win any game on his birthday, but she always needed to play a little before he arrived so she had a few wins under her belt._

_Apparently, Nino and Sabine decided on what to do, because they stopped arguing and the only sound in the room was the squeak of balloons rubbing against each other, and the theme song of UMS III, Tom’s favorite version of the game._

_She started the game and focused completely on the figures in front of her character. Round after round, she kicked and punched her way to victory. One...two...five victories. She was waiting for another player to join a match when she suddenly became aware of the silence behind her._

_Pausing only momentarily to pause the game, Marinette turned to look into the living room and her fingers went numb._

_The previously white walls were stained with red, and her parents were laying on the floor, motionless. When had Tom gotten there? Who had done this? Where was Nino?_

_Marinette forced her legs to move, creeping closer to her parents. She fell by her mom’s side._

_“Mom? Get up. Mom?” She shook Sabine’s shoulder, but she wouldn’t move. Her hair covered her face, and Marinette was too afraid to move it; she didn’t want to see if her mom’s face had been mangled in any way. “Dad?” He was facedown on the carpet, covering the hot chocolate stain on the rug._

_Where was Nino? She hesitated a second before searching for him. She checked under all the tables, in all the cabinets, behind anything she could find which might have covered him. He wasn’t in her home. Her heart pounded. Where was he? She ran down the stairs to the bakery. He wasn’t in the bathroom, not in the dining room, or in the kitchen._

_She ran through the streets, the fear rising in her stomach, up her throat, until it was impossible to breath. No one was there; the streets were empty. She was left alone in the middle of the street, her parents dead in her home, and Nino was nowhere to be found._

* * *

The figure tried to get up, and Marinette gasped as she was pulled out of the scene. The figure rushed her again, and she evaded its attack. She threw her yo-yo into the air and pulled herself out of the situation. She followed the Akuma, shivering from the cold of the continuing rain.

The Akuma was still flying, its hairy body dripping with the freezing rain. Though it was now spring, the nights were unseasonably cold. It sang, a fine cloud escaping its horrifying mouth. Marinette shuddered. The condensed air darkened to black and joined the swirling mass of black underneath it, waiting to be released.

She focused her eyes on the Akuma, determined not to be thrown into another nightmare, and threw her yo-yo towards it. The Akuma calmly doged, glancing into a window. It placed a hand on the glass and paused its song to blow onto the surface. The window began to glow. Marinette forced herself not to stare at it and instead glared at the Akuma.

“Lucky charm!” Physically, the Akuma was weak enough that she could take it on. The victim was small-boned and thin. Without all the figures and nightmares fighting for it, it would have been easy to take on. All she needed was a way to keep it from singing; then it wouldn’t be able to make any more nightmare figures. At least, that’s what she hoped.

Her hands heated and glowed. A second later, something like a lasso appeared in her hands. The Akuma didn’t seem to care very much about whatever she was doing. It continued singing and swaying side to side. A dark figure slammed into Marinette’s side, and she was knocked into the side of a window hard enough to crack it. She brought her hands up to protect her face, and the figure chuckled next to her.

Her eyes opened and her gaze landed on the glass next to her.

* * *

_It was Cat Noir. He was next to her. Somehow, it was warm now. They were in the park, sitting together and walking hand in hand. He was smiling down at her._

_“I’m so happy you’re here with me,” he said._

_“What are we doing here?” she asked. She looked down at their interlocked hands. His hands were covered in thick black material with fake nails at the end. Her hand was bare, and it looked like she was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans._

_“It’s our one-month anniversary, Marinette,” Cat Noir laughed. “You said you’d try my bread if I modeled your clothes for you.”_

_“Oh, I remember that.” She did, she remembered. She’d told him that days ago, when he’d brought up their anniversary. “But where’s the camera?”_

_“In your hand,” Cat Noir answered, pausing and looking down at her in concern. “Are you ok? Do you want to go home?”_

_“No, I’m…” Marinette stared at the camera in her hand. It felt heavy and expensive. When had she ever been able to afford such a high-quality camera?_

_“Well, let’s get started. I can’t wait for you to try my bread!”_

_They kept walking, Marinette listening as Cat Noir told her about his day. She glanced around. Something about the park felt strange. She studied the endless field of green grass, the rows of flowers, the pockets of families and people playing around or sitting and enjoying the sunshine._

_“When did the park get fixed?” Marinette asked. “Sorry to cut you off. But the park’s looked awful for months--who cleaned it up?”_

_“We did. After we got rid of the Makara and Akumas.”_

_“After we…?”_

_Cat Noir’s face changed. His eyes darkened to a deep red, and narrowed. “Don’t you remember? We defeated them months ago.” His voice was different, deeper, and he seemed to have fangs now. What exactly was going on? His hair grew longer and tumbled around his shoulders, down his back, then rose behind him like wings._

_Marinette let go of his hand, stepping back. The grass beneath her feet faded to an opaque gray. The color around her melted and shifted. The only ones with any color left were herself and the Not Cat Noir. The people in the park ran to the exit, screaming._

_“Who are you?” she demanded. “Where is Cat Noir?”_

_The imposter bared its teeth at her, and she was frozen where she stood.The world seemed to vibrate, and the ground opened up beneath her feet. She glanced down, and immediately wished she hadn’t. There was a mountain of bodies. On top was the real Cat Noir._

_He was dead._

_He was laying in the ground, body bent out of shape, and it seemed he’d been buried a while ago. If not for his costume, and the humanoid shape of his body, she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was him. His face was swollen and purple, his suit covered in dried blood. He smelled awful._

_Marinette stumbled back, covering her nose. The metallic scent of blood permeated the air. That was her partner; the one she’d sworn to protect. What exactly had happened?_

_The Not Cat Noir grabbed her arms, digging its claws into her muscles. It hissed in her ear. “You should’ve just forgotten! We could have been happy!”_

_Forgotten? Forgotten what? What exactly was going on? Marinette searched the area frantically, fighting to get out of the imposter’s grip. “Where are my parents!” she demanded. “Let me go! Where is everyone?!”_

_“You should have forgotten!” it screeched, momentarily deafening Marinette. Something shifted behind her, and the Not Cat Noir pushed off the ground and into the air, taking Marinette with it. She screamed, holding onto it’s disgusting arms for safety._

_Beneath her, the city was in ruins. The buildings were leveled, fires sprung up from a few houses, and people were trying to run to safety. One by one she saw them fall. The siren used for Akuma and Makara attacks rang in the air, but it was quickly drowned out by the roar of fires._

_“You promised!” the Not Cat Noir wailed from above her. “You were to help us, you would forget, we could live happily!”_

_“Never!” Marinette snarled back at it._

_“I know,” Not Cat Noir sighed. The wind blew ash and smoke in the air, stinging her eyes, and soon the fires overtook the city in one large blaze. No one was left to scream. Before Marinette’s eyes, Paris crumbled until nothing was left._

_Not Cat Noir’s grip on her arm tightened. His claws dug into her skin, drawing blood. Marinette groaned in pain. “Now, you die.”_

_He let go before Marinette could process what he meant. She wind whistled past her ears, and her stomach jumped into her lungs. It was hard to breathe, and even harder to scream. The ground came faster than she would have imagined. The last thing she heard was the crack of her skull on a rock in the park._

* * *

The figure continued to chuckle next to her. Marinette squeezed her eyes closed and lashed out where she could hear it laughing. She threw it off the side of the building, and screamed:

“Cat Noir!”

Seconds, or maybe minutes later, Cat Noir swooped down, grabbed her by the waist, and took her to the roof of the building. He set her down immediately, and she opened her eyes, studying him. He looked almost exactly as he always did: he towered over her in his stupid black suit, fake ears on his head, and his mask covering the top half of his face. His hair stuck to his head and neck. His bangs were sticking up, pushed out of his unusually wary eyes.

“Are you ok?” she asked. “What happened?”

“No, I’m fine,” he said, taking a step back and staring at the sky. The image of his mangled body flashed through her mind again, and suddenly her throat was too tight for air. Her heart beat harder and she could feel it in her temples. No--she couldn’t think about that. It wasn’t real. This was--this fight is what was real. The people she was protecting; they were real. She couldn’t let herself get frightened like this.

“Here,” Marinette held the lasso out to Cat Noir. “I need you to shoot this at the Akuma’s neck. Just knock him out, it won’t hurt him. He won’t be able to sing anymore.”

“So?” He coiled the lasso into a manageable circle.

“It won’t be able to summon nightmares anymore.” Marinette surveyed the area for the Akuma. The Makara continued to turn and shift behind her, crushing houses underneath it. The police pegasi flew around it, and the police threw buckets of explosives and liquid nitrogen on it in hopes of slowing it down. Nothing was working.

“Are you sure about that?” Cat Noir questioned, pointing out the Akuma making its way to the Seine.

“No, but it’s the best plan we have right now!” Marinette snapped. She pulled out her yo-yo and got ready to head towards the Akuma with her partner.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Cat Noir demanded. “It’s a waste if both of us go after the Akuma--the police can’t handle this Makara by themselves. Every time they get close, they piss their pants.”

“I’m not letting you go alone!” Marinette shot back. “It’s dangerous, it...it gets inside of your head. I won’t let you go alone.”

“Oh, but you can go alone?” Cat Noir challenged. “I can do it; we’re a team, remember? Go take care of the Makara, I'll handle the Akuma myself.”

“But--”

“No. The Makara’s dangerous. The police need you.” Damnit, she couldn’t even argue with him. He was right. She grabbed his arm and he looked down at her.

“Be safe.” Marinette said.

He nodded. “Yeah.” He moved to the edge of the roof, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

“No. Promise me--be safe.”

Cat Noir looked at her for a moment, a look of complete understanding on his face. He smiled down at her and patted her hand. “Yeah. I promise.”

Cat Noir bounded off to detain the Akuma, and Marinette took off towards the Makara. This one was one of the stupider looking ones. It looked like a tire, but covered in scales. It left behind a purple slime on whatever it touched, and no one had figured out exactly what the slime did yet.

As she moved closer to the Makara, the smell got stronger. It was a much stronger scent than the Makaras usually had. It was also larger than usual, and would be more difficult to subdue. It was a wheel, exactly like a tire, and it rolled over buildings like a monster truck would crush a mini cooper.

Marinette swung herself down to street-level and threw her yo-yo towards the Makara, going through the center hole to wrap around the tire. She willed magic into her legs and planted her feet into the slime. The purple slime crawled up her legs, seeming to prick the skin underneath, and sweat gathered on the back of Marinette’s neck. Her feet heated and glowed, and the slime seemed to evaporate, somewhat.

The tire continued to roll forward, but Marinette pulled back, forcing more magic into her legs and back. The Makara stopped, and the police moved forward with liquid nitrogen, ice, and road tacks. They weren’t able to get very far. As soon as they went too close to the purple slime, they froze, only able to come to their senses again when other cops pulled them back. It would have been useless anyway. Only another Miraculous weapon could damage the Makara. Marinette only had one Lucky Charm left, and Cat Noir was still off fighting the Akuma.

Marinette pulled back on the yo-yo and ran to the side, behind a building. She lengthened the string and circled the building, tying the string to itself, trying to keep the Makara in place by using the building as an anchor.

Then she ran to the Makara, trying to find it’s head, or some sort of weakness. It was useless. The entire thing was exactly like a wheel, rolling through the city. There were no legs, there was no head, nothing. All she could do was hope Cat Noir had dealt some damage on it and try to continue with that.

She jumped up to the inner ring of the tire, wincing as her feet hit the hard, disk-like scales. If she wasn’t wearing the suit, they would have sliced her feet open, she was sure. She’d have to be careful to keep the scales away from her face and neck.

She could hear the police shouting at each other to evacuate, and the tire was beginning to move forward again. The building her yo-yo was wrapped around was breaking, falling apart bit-by-bit.

“Lucky Charm!” Her hands glowed and then she had a large crowbar in her hands. She slammed it down by her feet, The scale didn’t so much as crack. Marinette growled in frustration. She tried a different scale. Same result.

“Tikki!” She scowled as she hit the scale again. “This isn’t working!”

 _“Don’t blame me, Marinette,”_ Tikki sounded so nonchalant that Marinette felt her blood boil. _“You’re the one who’s fighting; I’m not even doing anything.”_

The tire jerked forward, and Marinette’s face slammed into the tire’s scale. She felt it slice into her chin and nose. The sirens continued to blare, the Akuma’s song somehow still able to be heard over it. The rain was beginning to die down, but the night was still bitter cold. And now, she was bleeding.

“This is shit!” Marinette screamed, scanning the inner layer of the tire. The tire started to slowly roll, and she ran to stay on the bottom. It was humiliating, and she felt like a hamster.

 _“That one looked loose,”_ Tikki noted, and Marinette spotted the specific scale she was talking about. _“Maybe Cat Noir got that one?”_  
Marinette stuck the crowbar between the weakened scale and the one next to it and pulled. Nothing happened. The tire kept rolling. “This is the stupidest shit! I’m losing a fight with a goddamn tire!”

“Yeah, imagine what Mei would say.”

Marinette scowled and pulled again. Blood dripped down her chin. This was stupid. These stupid powers were useless. What good was being a superhero if she couldn’t even defeat one Makara? What was the point of being this powerful if she couldn’t save her partner, if she couldn’t save her city and all the people in it?

She willed magic into her arms, and her muscles heated to an uncomfortable degree, a sign that she was using too much magic. She would pay the price later. She couldn’t allow herself to stop fighting because of the fear of the consequences. The water on her suit evaporated away.

What kind of stupid magic had rules? This was complete bull shit.

Her body heated and she _pulled_ . The scale wiggled, dented, then cracked. That was all she needed--just a crack was enough. She pulled the crowbar out and, aiming once, brought it down with all her might into the Makara’s soft innards.

She wasn’t exactly sure what was inside of the scales, but she knew it was pungent, and probably the source of all the slime. The second the crowbar plunged inside the tire’s ‘body,’ a fountain of purple liquid sprayed out of it, landing in her hair and running down her back. Her scalp neck burned, and her back felt like pins were being pushed in.

The pain brought the reality of the situation back in. She was seventeen. She shouldn’t have to worry about what this caustic purple liquid running down her back was. She shouldn’t have had to wonder what it was, or if it would have lasting effects. She shouldn’t have had to fight superpowered monsters attacking her home on a regular basis. The most she should have had to worry about was getting good grades, or whether or not she’d be able to make it to the next gang raid with her uncles. This was not what she was supposed to be thinking about!

Marinette pulled the crowbar back, and the purple slime flowed out of the wound even faster than before. She jammed the bar into the wound again and again, waiting for the Makara to scream and disappear. As the tire rolled, she was taken all the way around the inner circumference, like a ferris wheel. As she reached the top, she grabbed onto the dented and cracked scale, praying to everything she could think of that the scale wouldn’t break. When she was far down enough for stable footing, she grabbed the bar again and smashed it into the hole again. This time, she missed.

She hit the cracked scale, which finally decided to give up. It shattered, and pieces fell into the wound. The bar only pushed the shards further in, and the Makara let out a pained wail. The goo turned a sick brown shade and bubbled, steaming in the cold night air.

Marinette backed away, panting in relief. It was almost over. She was so tired; she wanted to go home. The Markara started to dissolve, and a police pegasus flew next to her. The officer on it reached out and helped her onto the pegasus before lowering her to the ground. The police handed her some wet towels, but when it became apparent her hands were trembling too much for her to properly clean herself, they wiped the noxious purple slime off for her.

Cat Noir arrived moments after Marinette, Akuma in tow. It was completely silent, no dark figures around it. It was obviously unconscious, but the police stood on guard next to it. While he was waiting for Ladybug to get cleaned up, he pulled the butterfly out of the Akuma.

“You were right,” Cat Noir said, shuffling closer to her. “No singing, no more nightmares. Didn’t do anything about the other one’s he’d left behind, though.”

“I was really hoping it would make them disappear,” Marinette mumbled, purifying the butterfly in Cat Noir’s hand. The police began to go through the process of handling the Akuma victim. “What about the flat surfaces it blew on? The ones which pulled you into nightmare situations? Are those gone?”

“No such luck,” Cat Noir grimaced. “All the surfaces the Akuma flew by are infected with nightmare fuel, but I got rid of all the shadow figures I could.”

“Even the spiders?”

“There were spiders?” Cat Noir looked pained. A few officers looked at her warily as well.

“I really hope that was a joke, Ladybug,” Officer Claude said. “I hate spiders.”

“No joke. There were spiders--giant ones,” Marinette confirmed, smiling a bit despite the circumstances. “The size of a big dog. One was bigger than a car!”

“You’re making that up,” Cat Noir said, turning away. His voice faded and quieted. “You’re definitely making that up.” His voice wavered, and some of the officers looked at him in irritation. Marinette glared at them. They weren’t there. They didn’t know what she and her partner had just been through.

Marinette stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you ok?”

Cat Noir’s shoulder slumped and his muscle relaxed under her fingers. He turned, putting his hand over hers, and smiled. Marinette’s heart fluttered a little, and she smiled back.

“Just fine.” he said softly.

Something about his smile didn’t sit right with her, though. It seemed artificial, or faked. Nothing like the look of sheer happiness he usually had on his face when he smiled.

“A-are you sure?” she asked. “I’m here for you. You can always--”

“Lean on you, yeah, I know,” Cat Noir cut her off, sighing and moving away. Marinette’s hand dropped. “Trust me. I’m fine.” He turned and ran away before Marinette could correct him. Sure, he could lean on her. She knew he wouldn’t. She was always here to listen, though. As Ladybug, and as Marinette.

(That night, the police issued a warning to people with severe arachnophobia to stay at home until all the shadow spiders were taken care of. Half of the police force called in sick for the foreseeable future and left their brothers and sisters in blue to deal with the mess. Exterminators were called in as honorary officers in the mean-time and were given special honors after all the shadow spiders were dealt with.)

* * *

Adrien fell onto the balcony of a condemned apartment building. The sirens were dying down. People would be allowed onto the streets soon. They would be going home, where they could spend the night together, with their families. He could imagine parents clinging their children to them all night, and small kids crying in their family’s arms.

Once upon a time, Adrien would have been able to go to his dad and expect something like that. Not anymore. Now his father was too busy with work, and worrying over Emelie’s disappearance.

Adrien sat, dangling his legs off the side and shivered in the cold. If he went home, he could be warm, dry, and surrounded by everything money could buy him. He would be miserable.

A gust of air blew by and he shivered. His ring beeped, and Plagg complained, wanting to go home. In the far distance, Adrien spotted multiple cranes from the construction going on just outside the city. A plane flew by overhead, and Adrien wondered for the millionth time if his mother had just run away instead of being kidnapped. He wished that were the case. Then he could find her and tell his father to just move on.

“Kid, I’m freezing,” Plagg complained again. “Let’s go home, you can mope in your room as you’re taking a nice warm shower.”

Adrien sighed and started to stand up, but made the mistake of looking across the street. The side of the building was an ugly gray color, but it faintly glowed. Adrien watched, transfixed, as it shifted, and the colors changed.

* * *

_His mother stood next to him in a solid white room. She’d never allowed him to call her ‘Mommy.’ She told him that was an undignified way of speaking to her. It was always Mother. He hadn’t minded, she was his mother, why wouldn’t he call her that?_

_She looked like she always did--tall, collected, perfect. Her hair was gathered in a chignon bun, not a hair out of place. Her makeup was perfect, not a blemish or dark spot on her face. Her clothes were pressed and perfect for the weather: a long black coat, straight tan trousers, and heeled boots. Her arms were crossed and she was looking at him expectantly._

_“Well?” she asked. She couldn’t have been more than three feet away from him, but she sounded so far away, like she was down a tunnel. “Aren’t you coming to get me?”_

_The sound of her voice had never comforted him, but it had never given him such a sense of unease before, either. He shifted, looking behind him._

_“Adrien,” his dad greeted warmly. “What are you doing over there?”_

_“He’s miserable without me, you know,” Adrien’s mother said. She stepped back. Adrien turned back to Gabriel._

_“Dad?”_

_“Come here,” his dad invited. “I’ve missed you.”_

_“He’s missed me more,” his mother said coolly. “Why don’t you ask him?” Adrien watched as she moved further still. On his other side, his dad was coming closer._

_“Adrien?” his dad reached him and looked at him in concern. He felt his forehead and tsk-ed. “Did you stay up too late reading again? You’ve got a fever.”_

_“Go on. Ask him. Are you afraid of his answer?” Her voice echoed, barely there. Adrien refused to turn and face her. If he did, his dad might notice her. He just wanted her to go away._

_“Adrien, come rest.” Gabriel guided Adrien away from where Mother had once stood. Adrien’s heart pounded in his chest. In just a few moments, it would be just him and his dad. His Mother would just be a bad nightmare._

_“Yeah, ok. Sorry, I won’t stay up late anymore.” Adrien said, trying to hurry his dad’s pace. Gabriel continued at his leisurely pace and chuckled._

_“Like I haven’t heard that before.”_

_“I’ll do it for you, Son,” Mother’s voice was like a whisper, and it shot shards of ice-cold fear down his back. He froze, and his dad looked at him, worried. Mother was no longer in sight, but her voice got stronger. “Since you’re so afraid.”_

_“No!” Adrien called out, grabbing onto his dad’s arm. His dad was here with him, now--finally. Why was she doing this to him? Why couldn’t his dad just forget about her? “Don’t take him away again!” It was already too late._

_“Gabriel!” Mother’s voice pierced through the air. “I’m over here!”_

_Gabriel left, snatching his arm away from Adrien without a thought. In seconds, he was gone, and Adrien was left alone._

* * *

Adrien was shocked back into his senses. He looked around, trying to figure out exactly what had happened, but he was too disoriented to really figure anything out. All he could focus on was the pain in his chest. He knew what he’d just seen wasn’t real--it was as fake as the shadow figures he’d gotten rid of before. It felt much more real, though.

Adrien shakily got to his feet and extended his baton. He wouldn’t be going to the Agreste mansion. He would be going home--somewhere he knew he would be listened to and understood. Somewhere he was always wanted.

Adrien shot through the sky, trying to keep out of view of the crowds of people pushing their way home. It was late, it was cold, and everyone was in a bad mood. He could hear the arguments as he flew through the air.

He approached the house. With the safe feeling it brought in him, the tears came closer to the surface. He landed on the balcony, opened the window, and let himself into Marinette’s room.

She was laying face-down on her bed. She didn’t so much as twitch when he entered. He walked to her, worried.

“Marinette?” he asked. “Are you alright?” He swallowed. She didn’t answer. He reached out and shook her arm. “Marinette!” She wasn’t a very heavy sleeper; she was usually up as soon as he entered her room. What happened? “Wake up!”

“No.” she groaned. “It hurts.”

“What hurts?” Adrien moved to the other side of the bed, trying to see her face. “What happened? Did you get hurt in the attack? Weren’t you in a bunker?”

With seemingly great effort, Marinette turned her head to face him. Adrien’s heart skipped a beat.

“What happened to your face?” Her nose and chin were scabbed over now, but he would bet there were streaks of blood on her pillow. He was afraid to touch her face with his claws, especially when he was so shaken up. He could just hurt her more, and then she wouldn’t be able to stand his presence, just like his father.

“I fell on something coming back,” Marinette said, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. “There’s an en suite bathroom. Can you get me some pain meds?”

“Yeah! Don’t move” Adrien jumped into action. He knew exactly where she kept her first aide, he’d helped patch her up after all her spars with Sabine. He grabbed the entire box and brought it to Marinette’s side. He helped her sit up, wincing when she grimaced in pain.

“Hey, this is nothing,” she mumbled, noticing his look. “I’m just being a baby because it’s late and I’m tired.”

“No, you’re just acting tough so you don’t worry me,” Adrien said. “Don’t you have a thing against lying?”

“Yeah, but I have a bigger thing against that look on your face,” she said, downing a couple of pain medication pills. Adrien rummaged through the first aid box. He found the bandaids, but where was the antiseptic? What had happened to her? Why was everything going wrong? He went through the box again, ripping apart the gauze and dumping half the contents on the floor.

“Hey, Cat Noir, chill,” Marinette said. She grabbed his hand and it was only then that he realized how violently he was shaking. “Everything’s ok with me. I already did that, I just don’t wear band-aids at night. What happened to you?”

“Nothing.”

Marinette was silent for a second, and Adrien wasn’t sure if he hoped she would believe him or not. He had originally come here to talk to her, to feel better. But now that he’d calmed down, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to know all that. What would she think, what would she do? Could he really expose himself like that to her? Yes, he liked her and trusted her with his life, but did he trust her with his secrets?

“I was on the Ladyblog earlier,” she said. “I read about the reported powers of the Akuma and Makara. Did you see something? Are you ok?”

And that was it. He couldn’t hide from her even if he wanted to. She wasn’t the kind of person to just let things slide. Even if she knew someone didn’t want to talk about something, she was the kind of person to push and prod until they caved and told her everything. Resistance would be futile.

“Yeah,” he said. His voice thickened so he cleared his throat. He tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn’t let go of his hand. He came here, and now he was stuck, for better or worse.

“What did you see?” she asked as delicately as she could. It wasn’t very gentle, but at least she was trying.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Marinette had him pulled in a tight hug. He hugged her back, and the first tear fell. Then another. He gasped, trying to keep it in. He came here to talk, not blubber all over her.

“Don’t do that,” she whispered, rubbing his back. It had been so long since he’d been held like that, he buried his face in her shoulder. “Let it out, it’s ok.”

He wasn’t sure why he felt like he needed permission, but suddenly the pressure of everything became too much, and he burst like a dam. All the fear, the anxiety, the sadness and anger burst out of him. He didn’t even try to speak, all he could do was sob and cry in Marinette’s arms. She held him close, letting him go on as long as he wanted.

It felt like minutes, but it must have been at least an hour before his tears finally ran out. It left him exhausted, and he appreciated that she hadn’t once said anything, or once let go of him. Her strong arms around him felt like a comforting presence, like she would fight anything for him, and she would stand with him no matter what. He couldn’t say how much longer they stayed like that, but he knew it was time to let go when his ring beeped in warning and he de-transformed in front of her.

He froze, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t just leave now, could he? How could he get out of this without revealing his identity to Marinette? What was he supposed to do now? All the anxiety he’d just let go of began to build up in him again, and his breathing escalated.

Marinette lightly slapped him on the shoulder. “Shut up now,” she said lightly. “My eyes are closed. You can leave if you want to, or you can stay. I won’t look, but I’ll listen. I’m always here for you.”

Adrien swallowed. His brain felt foggy, but he had to choose, what was he going to do? “Do...do you have anything to eat?” His voice was so thick it sounded like someone else was speaking. “I just need to recharge and I can transform again.”

“Sure. Give me a second and I’ll be right back for you. Lay face-down on the bed.” Adrien did so. As soon as she was gone, he lifted his head and looked at her pillow. Like he thought, spots of blood stained the white cotton. His heart felt heavy in his chest. Here he was, a superhero, and he couldn’t even protect the girl he liked. Hell, forget protecting her--he’d gone to her in his time of need. She’d be better as Cat Noir than he could ever be. If only she’d been given the Miraculous instead. Pisces probably would’ve been caught already if Marinette was on the case.

Someone knocked on the door, and Adrien lay face-down on the bed again.

“Here, I got some break and some cookies. I wasn’t sure what you’r--you were in the mood for.” Adrien felt her sit on the bed next to him. “My eyes are closed. Do what you want.”

Adrien got up and Plagg popped out of his pocket, bee-lining to the bread. Adrien watched him eat half of the loaf before he mumbled “Claws out,” and transformed back into Cat Noir.

“I’m back in costume,” Cat Noir said, and Marinette opened her eyes. Adrien smiled at her. “Hey. That bread was really good. Did you make it?”

She wasn’t about to let herself be distracted. “What happened?”

“It’s complicated.” Adrien sighed and ruffled his obnoxiously long hair. He noticed Marinette watching and smirked, remembering that she actually liked his long, black hair.

“Even if you just want to vent and don’t want to explain anything, I’m here.” Marinette didn’t sit up from her spot on the bed. Adrien squirmed in his spot slightly, eventually moving so his right side faced her, and he was sitting at the edge of the bed. It took a few seconds, but he finally spoke.

“I’m afraid.”

Marinette didn’t miss a beat: “Of what?” It didn’t sound like she was curious. It was almost like she already knew, but was just asking so he admitted it to himself. But that was ridiculous. If she’d known, she never would’ve been his friend. Adrien took in a deep breath.

“I’m afraid...If I tell you everything, would you leave me? Would you hate me? What if you just confirm what I’m scared of?”

“I’m not going to force you to tell me,” Marinette said. Adrien would have laughed if he was feeling better. She obviously didn’t know herself very well. For whatever reason, she was convinced she wasn’t very nosy. One day he’d have to break it to her that she was the single most intrusive person he knew. “If you trust me enough to break into my room, you might try trusting me enough to know that I won’t abandon you no matter what.”

The way she spoke, like she knew no matter what he said, like she would stay by him always, bothered him. Once upon a time, his dad had been like that. His dad had been his best friend, and now he was like a stranger to him. She didn’t know everything, and he was about to prove it to her: “I’m a monster,” Adrien cried. “My mother’s been missing for years, and I hope she stays gone!” There, he’d said it. It was out in the air now. There was a moment of silence. Adrien could feel her eyes on his face, but he refused to look at her.

“Why?” It was the curious, neutral way she asked which made it so easy to speak. He didn’t look at her, he just spoke to the wall, growing more and more animated as he spoke.

“She was never there for me, she was always pressuring me to be someone I couldn’t be, someone better than what I could be. She was never supportive, or kind, or helpful in any way! When she went missing, I didn’t notice for a week. My dad’s...employee had to tell me, because nothing had changed for me!

“For whatever reason, my father loves her. Since she’s been gone, he’s changed. He won’t spend time with me, he won’t even look at me. I think he wishes I would’ve gone missing rather than my mom. When I hear him talking about her--I hate her!

“I’m turning into an emotionless monster, and it’s all her fault.” He squeezed his eyes shut and fisted his hair, pulling at it to relieve the tension in his body. “If only I’d never been born. What did I do to deserve this? I’ve tried everything to make up for my shortcomings, to help my dad and try to get him to move on from her with me. What is it about her that makes her better than me? Why can’t I compare?”

“Well I hate to speak badly about someone who’s potentially dead, but your mom’s a bitch, and your dad’s an asshole,” Marinette said. “There’s nothing more to it. You’re their child. It’s their job to make you feel loved and wanted. If they failed, then that’s on them, not you. It was never your fault, and it never will be, no matter what anyone says. You got that?”

“But, she’s my--”

“Your mom, yeah. And you hate her. That’s not illegal. You’re not some monster. No one’s been killed for hating their mom, especially if she’s this horrible. Quit blaming yourself for her actions, it’s stupid.”

There was silence. Marinette didn’t try to fill the silence, and neither did he. Adrien needed to think. Of course, Chloe had told him thousands of times that it wasn’t his fault, but it was never this abrasive.

When Adrien was young, adults always treated him like a child, which was just another way of treating him like he was an idiot. They always gave him soft placations, saying they’d handle anything difficult in his life. His dad had been one of the only people to talk to him like he could understand what he was talking about. He’d always appreciated the direct, no-nonsense approach.

Marinette never tried to fool anyone and act soft and nice. She was a kind person, but in a rough way. Somehow, that toughness made whatever she was saying seem more like a fact and less like a placation. It was easier to actually believe her than it was to accept that Chloe had been telling him for years.

“Marinette?” He finally looked at her. She was watching him closely, but she didn’t seem worried that what she said might have hurt his feelings. She was just waiting for him to process what she’d said, and respond.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Thanks.” He would never be able to tell her as Adrien, and he’d never be able to tell Chloe that Marinette had finally gotten through to him. There was no way she’d ever be able to know how much he appreciated everything he did for her, or how much he loved how she always seemed to know how to get through to him. She would never know just how amazing he thought she was.

“Shut up, I don’t need your thanks. Next time you come over, though, bring some lidocaine patches. My body is killing me.”


	6. Picture Day I, The Mission I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is excited for picture day.  
> Lila frustrates Chloe and Marinette.  
> A surprising Miraculous ability is used.  
> Adrien tries to find out Ladybug's secret identity.

**Monday 8:00am**

Adrien exited the pedicab, excited for school. It was picture day, and if there was one thing he knew, it was how to look good in a photograph. He hadn’t had a school picture day before, but he hoped it would last a while.

“Are you walking home with that girl?” Gorilla asked, “Or do you want me to come pick you up?”

“I’m going to Chloe’s house later,” Adrien answered. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

Gorilla nodded and started pedaling away. Adrien climbed up the stairs and started towards his classroom. A few people greeted him in the hallways. Nino met up with him, entering the classroom with him. They chatted a little, just catching up about the weekend.

“So, yeah, I ended up making a cool new Asian-inspired song with Kagami. She was really into the whole process, it was super fun.”

“I didn’t know she even liked music,” Adrien admitted. “I’ve met her a few times, but she seems so serious. All we’ve ever really talked about is fencing.”

“Yeah, no, Dude, she’s chill.”

Adrien opened the door for the two of them, and someone ran into him. Before Adrien could really see who it was, they ran down the hall. He and Nino stared after the person, and exchanged glances when they heard loud voices from inside the classroom.

“Was that Juleka?” Nino asked. Another person burst out of the room, hitting Adrien with the door. Adrien cried out in pain. Nathaniel yelled a hurried apology, but kept running, probably to find Juleka.

“And I think that was Nathaniel,” Adrien tried to look down the hall, but the person was gone. Chloe yelled from the classroom and Adrien looked at Nino. “Are we going inside?”

There was a shuffling noise from the classroom, and a few people spoke up in protest. Nino shrugged. “I guess. Odds Marinette’s yelling at Lila?”

“Zero, she doesn’t really yell anymore.” Adrien was confident in that. He hadn’t seen her yell in weeks. Nino gave him a smirk.

“Wanna bet?”

Adrien nodded. “Sure, ten euros you’re wrong.”

“You’re on.”

They entered the room. Chloe, Marinette, Lila, and Max were standing in the aisle between the two halves of the desks. Mrs. Bustier was nowhere to be seen--she’d probably already gone to the bathroom. Adrien didn’t think she’d be coming back any time soon.

Marinette looked furious, eyebrows scrunched, nose wrinkled, frowning. Chloe stood by her side, a fist on her jutted hip, looking down her nose at Lila. Lila stood, calm as a cucumber, smiling serenely at the two of them. Max was between Lila and Marinette.

“Do you honestly think that’s ok?” Marinette demanded. “You’re the class representative, remember? You did this whole big speech about treating everyone fairly and all that, but you aren’t even going after Juleka!”

“She’s the one who made her leave in the first place,” Chloe chimed in, “I saw. Don’t think you can lie your way out of this one.”

“Why are you ganging up on me?” Lila said, expression falling. “I didn’t even do anything.” Max looked back at her, worried.

“Marinette, I must insist you cease this behavior at once. There is no evidence for your claims; you simply go after Lila because you do not like her.”

“Are you serious!” Chloe screeched at the same time Marinette snapped,

“Shut up, Max!”

Nino stepped up to Max and guided him away, “Hey, Dude. I’d, like, not do that if I were you.”

“Yeah, how about you go sit next to Alya for a while?” Adrien suggested. “Did you finish all your homework for today? We had that history summary due, remember?”

“Oh!” Max exclaimed. “Thank you, Adrien, I completely forgot about that!”

Max scurried to Alya’s desk and sat next to her, scrambling to complete the assignment. Alya didn’t pay him too much attention, but Mylene edged over to him, helping him out. Ivan looked at her sadly. It seemed like they still hadn’t gotten back together.

Rose stood from her seat, a determined look on her face. Lila looked at her in surprise.

“I was right there,” she said quietly. “I heard everything you said.” Rose turned to Marinette and Chloe. “Sorry for never believing you before.” Then she ran out of the classroom.

“See that?” Chloe gloated. “That’s what you get for lying all the time. You might have friends now, but eventually they’ll see you for what you are--”

“A pathetic, manipulative bitch,” Marinette completed. “If you keep lying, you--” Chloe cut her off:

“--not only compromise your own integrity, but your reputation. And on top of that, you’ll be ruining my day, so I’m going to stop you right here. Sit down, and when Couf--Juleka comes back, apologize.”

Marinette stared at Chloe, apparently shocked.

“You memorized that?”

“Please,” Chloe scoffed. “If you hear the whole ‘honesty and integrity’ speech enough, even an idiot would memorize it. It pisses me off that you’d never said it to her, even though she totally deserved it.”

“I don’t!” Lila protested. “What do you even think I did? Nino, you believe me, don’t you?”

Nino moved to his seat. “I don’t believe anyone, I’m staying out of this. Hey, Dude, let me see your history homework, I forgot to do it.” Max handed his completed history summary back to him, and Nino got started on copying it.

“Try to change the diction to decrease the chance of getting caught,” Max cautioned.

“Don’t need to tell me,” Nino grinned. “It’s not my first time doing this.”

“Marinette, calm down,” Adrien stepped up and tried to pull Marinette away from Lila. “Look, she’s crying. Don’t you think you could cut her a break?” He knew she was right, and Lila had probably said something to upset Juleka, but this wasn’t the way to handle it. She didn’t need to confront her every time Lila did something she didn’t agree with. Marinette pulled away from him and shot him a look.

“You weren’t even there!” Marinette shot back. “What, you’re just going to take her side because she’s pretending to cry?”

“Maybe there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. Let’s hear her out,” Adrien reasoned. He knew Lila would probably try to lie to get out of trouble and garner the class’s sympathy, but did that really matter? Why not just let it go? It wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Yeah, Marinette, you’ve been going after her for a long time now,” Mylene said. Adrien held in a sigh. There could have been a chance of de-escalating the situation, but Mylene had just ruined that. She kept speaking, and Marinette was tensing up again. Lovely. “Leave her alone now.”

“Oh, and did you hear what she said, Mylene?” Marinette demanded. Mylene pursed her lips, looking at Ivan momentarily, then bracing herself to stand up to Marinette alone.

“I don’t even think she said anything,” Mylene defended. “You probably just made it up to--”

“I’m not jealous,” Marinette said coldly, glaring daggers into Mylene. Adrien shivered. He’d been on the other side of that glare before. Not fun. He couldn’t imagine how Mylene, who’d cried when he’d asked her for a spare pen, could keep her cool right now. “I have friends, and I don’t care if they make more friends. I care if someone tells Juleka it wouldn’t make a difference if anyone saw her in the picture, because she was practically invisible already.”

“She didn’t--”

“Shut up, Mylene!” Marinette’s glacial eyes stared daggers into Mylene, who sat down, eyes downcast. Chloe snickered and made a comment about focusing on her own problems.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, also looking at Lila to give her a chance to explain. “What do you mean?” Chloe huffed and crossed her arms.

“She means our wonderful class president went over to Juleka to switch places with her. You know, so she could be next to you, because she loves you or whatever. And then when Juleka said that if she moved, she wouldn't be visible, Rossi said it would be just like normal. Because she's already invisible.”

“To be fair, I am easy to love. Right, Marinette?”

“Not right now, you’re not,” she frowned. He poked her between her eyebrows. Her face relaxed, but she continued glaring at him. It was impressive, in a way. “Juleka’s sensitive, it really hurt her--”

“Stop being rude, Marinette!” Lila interrupted, ignoring Marinette’s scowl. She stood closer to Adrien and grabbed his arm. She addressed him: “Don’t listen to her, Adri-cat, you’re amazing!”

“Hey, that’s my nickname!” Kim complained from his seat.

“Stay out of this, Kim,” Chloe said, no heat behind her words.

“So you’re calling me out for saying something to my friend but you can talk crap to Juleka and no one should give a shit?” Marinette demanded, stepping closer and poking Lila on the shoulder. “No way, that’s not how this works. You need to go out there and--”

“Kids?” Mrs. Bustier hesitantly poked her head into the room. “I-I hope you’re done. It’s our time to take photos. Lila, lead everyone out to the back courtyard please!” Before anyone could say anything, Mrs. Bustier was running out of the room again.

Adrien noticed Marinette rolling her eyes and muttering under her breath.

“Pathetic.”

Apparently, Lila heard her as well.

“Awfully hypocritical of you, Marinette,” she said. “Yelling and causing a big scene for me allegedly bullying Juleka, but then talking smack about our teacher?”

Adrien stepped between the two of them before Marinette had a chance to retaliate. “Ok!” he said loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. “This is my first picture day in a public high school. Marinette, Lila, Chloe, get over yourselves, because you are _not_ going to ruin my time to shine!”

Marinette frowned and opened her mouth, but Nino came to Adrien’s rescue. He stepped up behind Marinette and covered her face with his hand.

“Yeah, yeah, Palm Face. Take your coffee and start walking. It’s our boy’s favorite day, let’s not ruin it.”

“Get your hand out of my face,” she grumbled, but she took the offered coffee, held Adrien’s hand, then led him out of the room. That was one of the best things about Nino. He could calm Marinette down in an instant, just by smacking her face and handing her some coffee. Adrien held the door open for Nino, who was leading the rest of the class from the room.

“Can I have some?” he asked, putting his and Marinette’s linked hands in his coat pocket. Alya sighed behind them, and Chloe told them to get over themselves and just start dating already. Adrien and Marinette ignored them; like they were able to talk. Marinette offered him her mug.

“It’s special,” she said. “I put hazelnut creamer in it.”

“I like it better like this,” he said. “It’s sweet.”

Marinette sighed mournfully, “I can’t believe I ruined a perfectly good cup of coffee for you.”

“It’s not ruined, it’s better.”

“Why are you so excited about picture day, by the way?” Marinette asked. “It’s pretty boring, you know. It’s not going to be like the photo shoots you go on.”

“Because I finally get to prove to you that I look good no matter what!” Adrien said excitedly. “Of course I look amazing in the pictures for Agreste, those are professional photographers, with great lighting. From what I understand, there’s going to be none of that here. It’ll be someone pretty cheap with a standard setup--but you’ll still see I look amazing. I’m just excited for you to see me look amazing in a public school photo.”

“Wow,” Marinette laughed. “Pretty and humble, too.”

“What can I say?” Adrien grinned. “I’m the complete package. Don’t you just want to go out with me?” Before Marinette could say anything, Nathaniel ran into Adrien. They would’ve fallen if Adrien didn’t catch himself on a wall. “Man, again?” Adrien complained, rubbing his shoulder from where it had hit a corner.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette asked, focusing on Nathaniel. “You look awful.”

“Juleka,” Nathaniel stammered. “She--she was Akumatized?”

“What?” Adrien blinked in shock. He exchanged glances with Marinette, who was looking at Nathaniel like she couldn’t decide whether he was joking or not.

“That’s impossible,” she said. “Akuma don’t show up unless there’s a Makara, and there’s no siren.”

“That’s what I thought, too, but it happened! And she looks really weird, like--”

Before Nathaniel could continue, Adrien spotted something running down the hallway. It was obviously a person, but a very poorly styled person. She was in a pink dress with a puffed out skirt. The leggings and shoes matched the dress exactly, and so did her hair. The hair was styled like long Mickey Mouse ears and looked almost plastic on her head. The girl’s face was painted completely white except for some pink makeup around her eyes which looked like panda spots.

Adrien felt his jaw drop, and Nathaniel ran down the hall, pulling him and Marinette with him. “That’s her! That’s Juleka!”

Marinette looked at Adrien, speechless. The three of them ran into the class behind them, who’d heard the entire thing. They were also staring at Juleka, stunned into immobility. Juleka had no such problem, however. She took one look at the class and screeched. Everyone flinched and turned to run away.

“Lila!” Juleka screamed. “Lila Rossi, stop right there! I’ll show you invisible!”

“I told you!” Chloe called to the class. “I told you, didn’t I?”

“Chloe!” Alya cried, pulling her along. “Not the time!”

Juleka caught up to them, a feat seemingly impossible in her 8-inch heels, but somehow she did it. She grabbed hold of Lila and slapped her across the face. She ignored everyone else. Lila’s face rippled, and she looked at the class, horrified. Juleka just laughed. Everyone watched as Lila slowly transformed to look exactly like Juleka.

“Alix, go tell the principal--tell him to evacuate the school and alert the police! Alya, get out of here and update the Ladyblog. Run!”

Everyone bolted at Marinette’s command. Adrien couldn’t remember exactly what happened, but at some point, he found himself in an abandoned alley outside the school.

“Claws out!”

He extended his baton and rose above the skyline, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Maybe there had been a smaller Makara and no one had reported it yet? Why would there be an Akuma with no Makara? It made no sense. And why did it look so...weird?

“Did you see the Akuma?” Ladybug swooped over to him, also looking for the missing Makara. The faint sound of sirens blared through the city, nowhere near as loud as usual. Adrien saw people exiting all the buildings on the street, looking around, just as confused as he was.

“Unfortunately. I'm gonna need to bleach my eyes after this.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty awful. Have you seen any Makaras?”

“No, that’s the weirdest thing,” Ladybug looked at him, concern heavy in her eyes. “What happened; why is everything different?”

Adrien shook his head. “No clue.”

The duo heard civilians scream from street level and were off. They sped through the crumbling streets of their city, ignoring the overall disarray and desolation of the place. Adrien saw Ladybug swing down to the pedestrians, use her Lucky Charm to create a net of sorts. She wrapped everyone in the net, tied it shut, then swung off with it, probably to take them to the nearest bunker. That left Adrien to track down the Akuma and deal with it.

If it was just an Akuma, it should be relatively easy to handle. All he’d have to do was activate Cataclysm and destroy the object the butterfly was hidden in. This Akuma couldn’t even fly, so that limited where it could hide or run to. He’d just have to be extremely careful not to get too close; he would never be able to live life looking like...that.

Just the thought made him shudder.

A glimmer of pink caught his eye, running through people and creating more duplicates. A whole mob of Akumatized Juleka-wannabes followed the original through a few run-down cars and towards an old parking lot.

Adrien followed, feeling bad for anyone he’d been unable to protect from such a horrid fate. He shortened his baton and landed on the ground just in time for him to witness the mob of Julekas gather around each other, link arms, and glow brightly. The pink light shone so brightly Adrien had to avert his eyes. When it was safe to open them, he was greeted with the horrific sight of a ten meter tall Juleka. A few of her clones had escaped and were running away, screaming at each other to not get within a certain distance of the main Akuma.

Ladybug swung in, looking at the giant Juleka in shock.

“What happened?” she demanded.

“They, uh, clumped together. Like playdough.”

Ladybug shook her head in disbelief. “So all those people are…?”

“Gone,” Adrien confirmed. He watched the giant Juleka look around herself in confusion. She found a smaller Juleka clone and reached towards it. Ladybug was faster, though. Her yo-yo wrapped around the clone and pulled it towards her.

“I’ll gather as many clones as I can,” she said. “Try and find the Akuma’s weak spot!” And then she was off. Adrien looked at the Juleka again. It had gotten bigger, but also slower. This wouldn’t be very strange, but not very hard. Adrien split his staff in half and got ready to leap forward.

 _“It’s still an Akuma,”_ Plagg warned. _“Don’t underestimate it.”_

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien said, jumping forward and extending his baton to anchor him to the ground. The police were starting to appear on the scene. A few of the horses had been changed, too, and Adrien had never felt so much pity for a horse before. It looked like the unholy offspring of a My Little Pony and cotton candy. It was just sad.

Adrien landed on Juleka’s head, gagging at how sticky the hair was under his feet. He jumped down a few feet, towards the back of her head, to avoid her hands. Juleka seemed to stop caring about him and started moving. Adrien clung to her neck, glancing around Juleka’s outfit to see where the butterfly might be hiding.

“Is there any way to save those people?” Adrien muttered. “If I destroy this butterfly, what happens to those people?”

 _“There’s not much we can do about them,”_ Plagg said. _“Just destroy the Akuma and get this over with.”_

“We can’t just give up on them,” Adrien protested. “Can Ladybug save them?”

_“Sorry, Kid, there’s only one kwami that could fix this, and he’s not going to do it.”_

“That’s not good enough, Plagg!” Adrien frowned, pushing pedestrians out of the giant Juleka’s path. “There has to be a way to save them!”

_“There isn’t. Cut your losses and save more people next time or something.”_

Ladybug swooped by and tripped the giant Juleka. Adrien extended his baton and reached her level.

“You couldn’t find the weak spot?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t find it,” Adrien pushed the bangs out of his eyes. “The butterfly’s hiding in that thing on her wrist. I just can’t destroy it without finding a way to save those people.”

“My kwami keeps telling me there’s no way to save them,” Ladybug frowned, “Did yours tell you anything?”

“He said there’s only one kwami who could help with this, but he won’t.”

“Well that’s bullshit!” Ladybug asserted, “I’m Ladybug, and you’re Cat Noir. If we can’t do it, no one can.”

“Well that’s a nice thought, but practically, how are we supposed to do that?”

“Maybe like _this_ ,” Ladybug hurled the end of her yo-yo at the now standing Juleka. The ball at the end started to glow, and when it hit Juleka’s body, the outlines of the people inside glowed. Ladybug drew her arm back and swung again.

(The Ladyblog would later show the video of Ladybug using yet another unseen power. No one knew how, but analysts guessed that she transferred her power through the yo-yo string and to the end. The concentrated power hit the Akuma with such force it was forced to freeze. The video would get millions of views as it was streamed on the Ladyblog in real time. Parisians from all over the city would huddle in their bunkers and be assured that they would be safe once again with a protector like Ladybug in the city.)

Adrien watched as her shining yo-yo struck the Akuma again and again, finally breaking the Akuma into smaller people. He could feel Plagg settle and quiet inside his head.

“Ugh,” Ladybug groaned. “That’s going to hurt later.”

Adrien used his staff to sweep the clones away from the core Akuma. A few were out of his range, and they were once again absorbed by the core Akuma. Ladybug swore next to him. Adrien glanced at her, noticing how stiffly she held herself, how sweaty and tired she looked.

“Stay here,” Adrien said. “I got it this time.” Before she could say anything, he was off. He quickly chased down the lumbering Akuma and used one half of his baton to slam into the Akuma, trying to channel any sort of his magic into it, like Ladybug had just done. His staff dimmed, like someone had sucked the light out of it, and his fingers trembled with cold. It didn’t matter--this could work.

He extended one half of his baton in the ground so he could reach the middle of the Akuma’s back, like Ladybug’s yo-yo had done. He slammed the other half of the baton into the Akuma, and the people inside were outlined in a thick black like. The smaller, five meter Akuma, was much less tolerant of this behavior than the ten meter had been. It turned, faster than Adrien had anticipated, and hissed at him. It swung its fist towards his face, and Adrien heard Ladybug cry out behind him. Something wrapped around his wrist, and Adrien allowed his partner to pull him away from the Akuma’s giant fist.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough. The Akuma’s other hand swung around and hit him in the arm. He was thrown into a wire balcony. Blood roared in Adrien’s ears, and he heard a hollow crack. Someone screamed, but he wasn’t sure who; all Adrien could focus on was his arm. It didn’t look right. It felt thick and heavy, and his arm hung ninety degrees just below his elbow.

“Cat Noir!” The string around his wrist went taught, and he was dragged down next to his partner again. He felt something shift in his arm. The bone locked into place where it shouldn’t, and a sharp pain travelled up and down his bone. He landed by Ladybug and fell to the ground, clutching his arm to his chest.

Ladybug fell to her knees by his side. Adrien could tell she was saying something, she kept trying to move his good arm away from the injured one. He couldn’t move, though. It was like everything in his body was frozen. His breathing intensified, and he could hear his pulse in his ears.

Adrien could sense a few other people joining Ladybug, and he heard her start to yell at them. After a tense few minutes, she left, and an officer helped Adrien stand up and guided him to a nearby medic. She asked him a few questions, but he couldn’t respond. All he could think about was how to hide this from his father. Sure, his father hadn’t been very present lately, but there was no way he wouldn’t notice a medical bill for a broken arm, or a few months of missed photo shoots and fencing practice. If Gabriel heard about him being injured during just an Akuma attack, he’d never let him leave again; he hadn’t been a very attentive parent in the past couple of years, but he had always been protective. If he started keeping a closer watch on him, how could Adrien sneak away and continue to be Cat Noir?

He was sat down, and the medic held something over his mouth. Adrien tried to focus on what the woman was saying, but he couldn’t focus on anything but the pain in his arm and the fear of losing his identity as Cat Noir. The woman looked apologetic enough. She tried to get him to count backwards from ten, but Adrien had already lost consciousness.

* * *

**10:00am**

Peizhi groaned as Justin turned on the light in the apartment. Wayzz gasped in the corner.

_“Oh my! What happened to you?”_

“Why do you keep turning on the lights?!” Peizhi grumbled. “It burns!” He struggled to stand up from his couch. His arm stuck slightly on the fabric, but it didn’t bother him too much. He’d shower and clean it off. Eventually.

“Yeah, sorry,” Justin sighed, but didn’t turn the light back on. “That’ll be 45 euros because of the Akuma liability charge.”

“What?” Peizhi turned to face the entrance. “There’s an A…” He couldn’t continue and just stared. He stood almost half a foot taller, dressed in all pink, and with the strangest hair style he’d ever seen. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Oh, uh...It’s a side-effect of the Akuma,” Justin scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I ran into it on my way here. It didn’t do much, I don’t think. It sort of just changed the way I look. I think it’s permanent, though. I can’t wash the makeup off my face.”

Peizhi just stared. He knew it was Justin. Whenever the thing in front of him opened its mouth, it sounded just like him. It was very hard to grasp, though. The creature in front of him was so strange, it looked almost other-worldly. He couldn’t believe something so horrendous had happened to his beloved pizza boy. Peizhi threw his half empty bottle behind him. It landed on the couch, and Wayzz cried out in dismay. Peizhi cracked his back. “This is unacceptable.” He held his hand out for Wayzz.

_“Master?”_

“Wayzz, Head out!” Peizhi said gruffly. Wayzz flew into the bracelet Peizhi wasn’t allowed to take off. The two of them were surrounded by a bright light, and an instant later, he stood as Laumei, the superhero behind the turtle miraculous. Just wearing the suit brought a sick feeling to his stomach. Wayzz’s energy surrounded him, his magic saturated the suit and began to seep into Fu’s skin. Just the idea of being closer to the turtle than he already was made him want to vomit. “Restore!” he yelled, and a dark shadow, darker than the blackest black, crept along the ground. Though he couldn’t see it, Peizhi knew it would be halfway through the entire city of Paris by now. It would revert everything back to the way it had been 24 hours before. Any damage the Akuma had caused, any lives lost or any injuries caused--they would all be fixed. That was the primary power of the turtle.

“Head in,” Peizhi growled. The disgust rolling around in his stomach wouldn’t be leaving for quite some time, he knew from experience. He could either take a few days, reflect and move on, or get completely drunk and try and forget. He knew which was the best option. He sent Wayzz to the kitchen to grab a bottle of vodka--the good one he only kept for emergencies.

“Thanks, Fu,” Justin was running his hands through his hair and circling his ankles. “It’ll still be 45 euros anndddd you’re already eating.”

“Come join me, Justin.” Peizhi said, already getting the plastic tarp Justin insisted on setting on top of the couch. He haphazardly spread it on top of the sofa and turned on the TV. Justin was silent for a moment, then sighed.

“Yeah, alright.”

* * *

**Wednesday 2:00pm**

Ladybug panted next to him, waving the police away from the two of them. They’d just defeated a regular Markara-Akuma paired attack. It was physically much more tolling than just facing an Akumatized Juleka, but it was easier, in a sense. It was familiar; Adrien and Ladybug had a rhythm and a process for dealing with a normal Akuma and Makara. Physically, it was harder, but mentally, it was relieving.

“Are you ok?” Ladybug asked, checking over him with worried blue eyes. Adrien grabbed his arm and nodded. She’d been so worried about him ever since he’d broken his arm, it would have been annoying if she wasn’t the only one in his life who seemed to worry this much when he got hurt. Today, she was worse than normal because of the stress-inducing plants the Makara had produced. He’d Cataclysmed a few of them away, but he was out of magic and needed to go re-charge before doing more.

“Yeah,” he pursed his lips. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s fine.” His ring beeped, and Plagg reminded him of the plan. Adrien pursed his lips. “I have to go.”

Ladybug nodded and turned to the Akuma victim. “Here, lean on me,” she said, helping him stand up. Adrien extended his baton and exited the scene. He made his way through the city and to Marinette’s balcony, where he’d stashed a loaf of bread earlier.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Adrien asked Plagg as he was munching on the white bread.

 _“Nope,”_ Plagg said, taking a particularly big bite. _“The Ladybug is the Black Cat's counterpart. There's always a change my powers won't work on Tikki, or her powers won't work on me. But really, what’s the worst that could happen?”_

“So, we’re going to get caught?” Adrien paced, running his hands through his hair. “What do I say when she catches us?” He stopped and grabbed Plagg, shaking him slightly to get his attention. “Is there even a slight chance she won’t see us?”

 _“Not with that attitude, there isn't.”_ Plagg huffed. _“Can I finish my bread now?”_

“No, let’s just get this over with,” Adrien groaned. “I don’t even want to know who she is!”

 _“No one cares what you want,”_ Plagg said. _"Or at least the Master doesn't, and his opinion is the only one which matters when it comes to the Miraculous."_

“Claws out,” Adrien said glumly. In a burst of dark light, he stood again as Cat Noir. He pulled his hair back in a ponytail, like Marinette had shown him to make before, and pushed off the balcony back towards Ladybug.

The sirens were just starting to dim down, and the air had a lovely scent to it, like a freshly cut lawn, and the breeze was nice on Adrien’s face. As he got closer to the police scene, his heart beat harder and harder in his chest.

“Light Paw,” Adrien mumbled. Nothing changed, nothing felt different. He continued moving forward, doing his best to swallow down his anxiety. The police were still cleaning up as much of the scene as they could, and were almost finished processing the Akuma victim. Ladybug threw her yo-yo and swung away, off to de-transform and live life as her civilian self, her real self.

Adrien landed in the middle of a trio of police officers.

“Hello?” he called. None of them responded. They continued going about their business, reminding each other of tasks they still needed to complete, and telling each other of tentative plans they had for later that week. “Is no one going to answer me?” Adrien asked, louder.

 _“We’re losing Ladybug,”_ Plagg warned. Adrien planted one end of his baton in the ground and rode it like a broom in the direction he’d seen Marinette go. He felt someone run into his baton.

“Ah, what the hell?”

Adrien ignored it and continued following Ladybug. She’d already gone pretty far, so he made his baton go faster, trying to catch up to her. He saw her swing right and forced his baton to curve. It strained a little, but didn’t seem like it was under any real tension. He followed as Ladybug swung through the city, turning left and right at random times. Adrien eventually had to drop to the ground, retract his baton, and replant it in the ground to follow her. The sirens had completely stopped by this time, and people were rushing to go home. The baton pinged every time someone ran into it.

Aften close to ten minutes of swinging through the city, Ladybug dropped to the ground in front of an apartment complex. Adrien quietly dropped down a few meters away from her. He probably didn’t need to, but he hid behind a large bush in the middle of the cracked sidewalk. Ladybug marched his way, and for a second, Adrien thought she was actually going towards him.

“What the heck are you doing?” she asked. “You’ve been following me for forever.”

Adrien froze. He could hear Plagg sigh the back of his mind. Adrien looked behind him. Who was she talking to?

“Cat Noir,” Ladybug said. “Why are you following me?”

“You can see me?”

Ladybug looked at him like he was insane. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Are you ok? Did you hit your head? Here, let me see.” She reached out to him and pulled his head down so she could inspect it. She ran her fingers through his hair, tutting when she couldn’t feel a bump. She let go of his head, and Adrien straightened, feeling his face burning with embarrassment.

“Well, you see...I…”

 _“Say you were worried about her!”_ Plagg said. _“She’ll buy that, and we can go back home and come up with a new plan!”_

“I was worried about you!” Adrien said. “You kept asking about me, but I left before I could see if you were alright. So...are you alright?”

“You were worried about me?” Ladybug looked at him in amusement. “I hate to say this, but I’m not really sure why. You get hurt a lot more than I do.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’re not scared,” Adrien said. He knew what she went through; he lived it, too. Sure, he hadn’t originally followed her to have this heart-to-heart with her, but now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d worried about Ladybug half as much as she worried about him. “We’re partners,” he reminded her. “I’m here if you want to talk. Are you ok?”

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, almost stunned to silence. Her earrings flashed, but she didn’t seem to care. “I’m fine,” she said, almost like she was forcing it to happen. “But if I’m not, I’ll be sure to tell you. Thanks...for worrying about me. Not many people do.”

She was off before Adrien could say another word.


	7. Picture Day II, Family Game Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the morning of Adrien's picture day, Gabriel reminisces  
> Sabine and Tom have news to share at family game night

**Monday 8:00am**

Gabriel stared out of the window in his office. Adrien had just left for school. He’d been excited, from what Natalie reported. It was picture day. Adrien had never gone to public school before; he’d always been home-schooled until this year. This would be his first ever picture day. Adrien hadn’t even shown him his outfit.

Gabriel stared at the photos on his desk. On the far left, he had a picture of his and Emelie’s wedding day. Just to the right of that was a photograph of Adrien’s first ultrasound image in the same frame as a picture of him just after he was born. The photograph next to that was Adrien’s first time on a horse. Then a picture of him and Adrien in front of a castle. There was a family picture of him, Adrien, and Emelie all dressed up and ready to attend a charity gala.

In every single picture, Adrien was smiling. When he was a young boy, Adrien had never known a day of hardship. He always smiled. It had been that beautiful, open smile of his which had initially made Gabriel think he would be such a good model.

Lately, it had been harder and harder for Gabriel to find the time to spend with his son, but whenever he saw him, he was never smiling.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. He’d seen Adrien smiling a few weeks ago, when he’d brought that horrible girl home. Just the thought of her made Gabriel want to pull his hair out. She’d been so rude, so unthankful, so…

“I know you’re a businessman, but you’re also his dad. Adrien lost his mom, but that wasn’t her choice. You’re abandoning him on purpose, and that’s unforgivable.”

...so completely correct. He was failing his son. His business was hemorrhaging money, and they couldn’t even spend time together like they had been able to before. Back when Emelie had still been there, Gabriel had had more time, and business had been booming. Adrien had only started to look at him with such a desolate look after Emelie disappeared. What kind of man was he? He couldn’t even protect his wife from being kidnapped, and now, with the magic of the moth Miraculous, he still wasn’t able to find her? What kind of father allowed their son to live in such a state of despair when they had the power to stop it?

If only Emelie had never gone missing. Adrien would still be happy.

 _“It’s not too late, Sir,”_ Nooroo said softly. _“You limit yourself. You only summon Akuma when there’s a Makara to defeat.”_

“You know I’m not good at controlling them,” Gabriel sighed. “They need a goal. What better goal than to protect Paris from the Makaras?”

 _“Just instill them with your desperation,”_ Nooroo said. “ _Just as you feel their emotions, let them have a fraction of yours. You don’t need to limit yourself, Sir. Isn’t there another mission you could send them on?”_

Gabriel stared out of his window again, watching as the Parisians cautiously walked around, their phones on hand to see if there had been a Makara or Akuma sighting recently. He sighed. Could he really ruin the days of millions of people, just to find Emelie?

 _“She’s not just your wife, Sir,”_ Nooroo reminded him. _“She’s also Adrien’s mother. She’s the key to his lasting happiness.”_

Gabriel took one more second to think, then sat at his desk. “Dark wings, rise,” he said. He felt the magic cover him, transforming him into Hawkmoth. He willed the magic to spread over the city. Who was going through a particularly turbulent morning? Who could help him?

Ah, here was a wonderful candidate. A bullied child. Someone who felt invisible and worthless. He could help her. She would be perfect.

“Would you like me to help you?” he said softly, coaxing her to stop crying. “I can help you make her feel the pain she caused you. All I need is a simple favor. All I need you to do is find Emelie Adrienne Agreste.”

* * *

**Wednesday 6:00pm**

“Are you sure your dad is alright with you spending the night here after a Makara attack?” Tom asked. Marinette snorted, handing Adrien a bowl of chips and carrying a container of salsa herself.

“Trust me, Dad, he probably won’t even notice Adrien’s gone.”

“Don’t worry, Tom,” Adrien said, taking a seat next to him. “He’s fine with it.”

“Does anyone want to play Ultimate Racer?” Marinette asked. “It’s the only video game we have.”

“I’m fine with board games,” Adrien said.

“That’s Adrien’s nice way of saying he hates Ultimate Racer, Marinette,” Tom informed her. Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I’m not stupid, Dad, I got that.”

“I’m not sure what I missed, but I heard Marinette telling you she wasn’t stupid. Now, who on earth told her that?”

“Mom!” Marinette complained. “Why are you never this mean to Chloe!?”

“That’s because she actually likes me,” Chloe asserted, sitting on Tom’s other side. “Adri-cat, pass me the hot chocolate.”

“Before we start the game, I have an announcement to make!” Sabine said, “Tom and I have been looking, and we finally found a place in our budget!”

“What do you mean?” Adrien said.

“You’re leaving?” Chloe looked between Tom and Sabine, equally shocked and hurt.

“Yes,” Tom said gently. “We’ve been so grateful for your kindness in keeping us here, but it’s probably about time we moved out now.”

“What budget? We have literally no money,” Marinette said. “How the hell could we afford anything?”

“We got money from the city, Marinette,” Sabine sighed. “Don’t you watch the news?”

“All the families who get affected by the Makara or Akuma get some money from the government, depending on how much damage their family suffered, and if you can prove it,” Adrien added. Marinette made a face at him.

“I knew that! I just didn’t know we got any.”

“Our home and business was completely destroyed, why wouldn’t we get compensation?”

“When are you leaving?” Chloe asked, clutching her hot chocolate tightly to her chest. “It’s not going to be like, soon, is it?” Marinette sat next to her, bringing the bowl of chips close. She shoved one in Chloe’s mouth.

“It’s in the newer area, just outside the city. It’s about three hours away.” Sabine said softly. Marinette looked at her in shock.

“What? We’re moving 3 hours away?”

“It won’t be completed for a while, though,” Tom added. “So, if you don’t mind, we’ll be staying here until then.”

“Like you care what I think,” Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms and looking at the floor.

“Of course we do, Chloe.” Sabine said. “Why else would we be telling you now? We could have just packed up and left with just a thank you note. But we wanted you to know, to be prepared.”

“So...you’re not leaving right away?” Adrien confirmed. “Are you moving after school ends? You’re not going to be leaving before the end of the school year, are you? You can’t--what about your diploma?”

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Marinette frowned. “I don’t know any more than you do.”

“Can we just stop!” Chloe cried out. “This is family game night, not talk about family gone night! I come here on Wednesdays and I expect games and snacks and a good time, not this complete...complete…”

“Bullshit?” Marinette offered. Chloe nodded,

“Yeah, that. Can we just leave it alone? Please?”

“Chlo, that won’t make it go away,” Adrien said. Tom put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, a soft smile on his face.

“It’s alright, we’ll leave it alone for tonight,” he said. “So, who wanted to play Ultimate Racer?”

“I do,” Marinette slumped in her seat and pouted. “But obviously no one else does.”

“I’ll play with you,” Sabine offered. Everyone paused and stared at her. “What? I can learn!”

No one said a word.

“Never mind,” Marinette mumbled. “I’ll get the monopoly board.”

The rest of the night passed almost like every other family game night. The five of them talked and laughed as they casually played different games and ate snacks until close to 10pm, when Tom turned in for the night. Sabine quickly followed suit and left the three teenagers to their own devices.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it,” Marinette started.

“Then don’t,” Chloe said sharply. “Just leave it alone. I get it. You’ve got your own family. We were just the people who gave you a place to stay after your house got destroyed. It’s fine.”

“Chloe, that’s not what it’s like,” Adrien said. “They’re--”

“I have family, sure,” Marinette cut in. “And that includes you. I just want you to know that even a shitty 3 hour commute won’t keep me from seeing you. So don’t revert back into a bitch, because if you do, I’ll be so pissed. I’ll yell and lecture until I lose my voice.”

“I can’t even imagine you losing your voice.” Adrien said. He turned to Chloe, “Now I kind of want you to go back to what you were before.”

“Shut up,” Marinette and Chloe said simultaneously. Adrien grabbed an empty bowl and got up.

“If you guys pick a movie, I’m making popcorn.”

They didn’t sleep the rest of the night, making bowl after bowl of popcorn, and watching movies until the sun rose in the air.


	8. Progress I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris Construction comes to talk to the class about job opportunities.   
> There is some progression in the relationship between classmates.

“Marinette!” Sabine’s voice jerked Marinette awake. She rubbed her eyes, squinting at the dark figure of her mom standing in front of her.

“What time is it?” She asked. “What do you want?”

“It’s five,” Sabine answered. “We have an order for bread. Go help Tom.”

“Five more minutes,” she groaned, flopping onto her stomach and pulled the blanket over her head. Sabine ripped the comforter off of her, leaving her freezing in the cold morning air. “Mom!” she complained.

“Now!” Her voice was quiet, but hard. Marinette could just imagine the look on her face. She sighed and forced herself out of bed, grumbling while she made her way to her bathroom, getting ready for the day.

Marinette slipped on a pair of shoes and made her way down to the kitchen. It was weird for her and Sabine to wear shoes inside, but in the mornings, Marinette really appreciated that house rule. Unlike her old home, Chloe’s house was almost exclusively furnished with hardwood floor, and it got pretty cold and uncomfortable under her feet.

Marinette grabbed an apron and started putting together a small batch of croissants while Tom continued kneading his dough. They worked in silence, getting ready for the rest of the day. They didn’t need to make as much as when they had a bakery, but enough catering orders had come in to keep them busy for the morning.

Around 7 o’clock, Sabine came in and told Marinette to make sure she had everything for school. Marinette changed her clothes into a generic t-shirt and jeans, grabbed her backpack, and made her jug of coffee. She filled her thermos and a mug, adding a disgusting amount of sugar and milk to the coffee in the mug, and a pump of hazelnut syrup into the thermos. Then she made her way to Chloe’s room to wake her up. She turned on the lights and sighed as she took in the lump snoring on the bed.

“Hey!” Marinette put the mug on her bedside table. “Wake up. It’s 7, we have to go soon.”

Chloe opened her eyes to squint at her, made a face, then covered herself with the blanket. Like Sabine, Marinette pulled the entire comforter off the bed.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Marinette pulled Chloe into a seated position. “Look, you’re already awake, there’s no point being cranky. Here’s your coffee. I’ll come back in a few minutes with a croissant and cheese.”

Chloe didn’t say anything, but took the offered cup. Marinette went back to the kitchen, taking the croissants out of the oven. Her dad was kneading another batch of dough, this time with rosemary in it, and her mom was, from the looks of it, making sugar cookies.

Marinette placed all the croissants on a tray, except two, and put them on the main dining room for the staff to snack on throughout the day. She put of the ones she’d set aside on a plate and took it up to Chloe on a plate.

“Alright, Princess,” she sighed, making her way into the room. “Here’s breakfast. Now get off your butt and get ready for school.”

“Get out of my room,” Chloe muttered. Marinette rolled her eyes and left, going back to the kitchen again to see if her dad needed anything. She entered just in time to see her mom shaking her head at Tom, and her dad lightly shaking a microwave.

“You don’t work,” he frowned, “What is the point of you?”

“Tom,” Sabine sighed. “For the tenth time, it’s not plugged in.”

“It is!” he insisted. “I plugged it in myself yesterday!”

“Well did you check today?” she asked, rolling her eyes slightly.

“I don’t need to,” he shook the microwave a little more. “I plugged it in myself yesterday. Who would have unplugged it?”

“Anyone!” Sabine said. “Anyone in this house who has access to the kitchen. That would be anyone here!”

Marinette packed the last croissant in a box, grabbed a banana, and made her way to the sitting room in the front of the house. She sat, texting Kagami and Alix, checking to see if they still wanted to hang out later that week.

The doorbell rang. Marinette got up and opened the door, inviting Adrien in to wait with her. She handed him the box with the croissant in it. They greeted each other with a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I didn’t think you’d come so early,” she said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have packed it.”

“No problem,” he devoured the croissant in two bites. “Where’s Tom? Does he have more?”

“Kitchen. You can’t have more, those are for the staff.”

“But I’m your favorite,” Adrien whined, following Marinette into the kitchen. “Just one croissant isn’t enough!”

“That’s my boy,” Sabine came and patted Adrien on the cheek. “One croissant is never enough.”

“Dad, it’s not plugged in!” Marinette said, gently pushing him out of the way and plugging it in herself. “There, see? All fixed.” She demonstrated by putting the butter in the microwave for a few seconds. Her dad, however, no longer cared about the microwave. He was greeting Adrien, trapping him in a large hug.

“Adrien,” he smiled. “How are you?”

“Ok,” Adrien said. “A little hungry, though. Do you have any more croissants?”

“Do I have any more croissants?” Tom looked almost offended. “I have something better! Look, olive and cheese bread, freshly made!”

“Woah, that looks amazing.”

“Pack me some for lunch,” Chloe strutted into the kitchen. After a look from Marinette, she sighed. “Nevermind. I’ll pack it myself.”

Tom cut her and Adrien thick slices, then checked the clock.

“If you kids don’t leave now, you’ll be late for school. Remember, Marinette--I don’t want a single tardy this year.”

“Yeah, I know,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, Young Lady,” Chloe teased. “If you get a single tardy, your father and I would be severely disappointed in you.”

“Shut up,” Marinette said. “Let’s go. I saved a pumpkin muffin for Gorilla.”

The three of them saved good-bye to Marinette’s parents and went outside, climbing into the pedicab. Gorilla grinned and nodded his thanks when Marinette gave him his muffin. Marinette waved it off, climbing in behind Adrien.

“Did you guys do the math homework?” Adrien asked.

“Of course I did.” Marinette said.

“What math homework?” Adrien and Marinette stared at Chloe.

“Here, take mine,” Adrien sighed. “Get a few wrong, though.”

“Why? I’m not an idiot, Adri-cat.”

Marinette took a sip of her coffee, offering some to Adrien as Chloe scribbled down the work and answers to the three page math assignment.

“I love the hazelnut,” Adrien sighed.

“Why did she give three pages?” Chloe complained. “They’re double-sided.”

“I’ll have to start making you your own,” Marinette grumbled. “It completely ruins my entire cup of coffee.”

The rest of the ride was relatively quiet, Chloe muttering about how stupid the math homework was, and Adrien showing Marinette a couple of desserts he wanted her to make for him.

“Aren’t you a model?” she asked, amused. “I thought models had to cut sugar out of their diets?”

“Regular models, sure,” Adrien agreed. “But I work out, so I can eat whatever the hell I want and I'll still have muscles for days.”

“What?” Chloe looked at him, unimpressed. “Since when do you work out?”

“Since the Makara attacks started,” Adrien said. “I’m stuck at home so often, there’s not really much more to do.”

“Nuh-uh,” she said, pursing her lips. “You’re a total nerd, you hate exercising, and you pass out if you have to run more than a couple blocks. You’re totally just lying to get Marinette to go out with you or something.”

“No, it’s true!” Adrien defended, flexing his arms. “See these guns? You don’t get these from just holding books, you know.”

Chloe stared, openly shocked. Marinette didn’t look like she particularly cared.

“Oh, please,” she rolled her eyes and squeezed his muscle. It deflated under the pressure of her hand. She flexed her own and gestured for him to try and push it down. No matter how he tried, her muscle wouldn’t be budged. He stared at her in shock. She smirked at him, and pulled her jacket back on.

“When did you get those?” Chloe asked, testing Marinette’s muscle through the jacket herself.

“I’ve been kneading dough every morning since I was six, for one,” Marinette said, flexing again to let Chloe feel. “And I have to practice martial arts with my mom all the time.”

“Oh, right,” Adrien whispered to himself. “I forgot about that.”

“Are you, like, ripped?” Chloe wondered, She pulled Marinette’s shirt up a bit, showing off a six-pack. Chloe let Marinette’s shirt fall, and Marinette took a casual sip of her coffee. “Adrien, your girlfriend is butch.”

“We’re here,” Gorilla’s voice came from the front of the pedicab. They got out and walked to the classroom, meeting Nino on the way.

“Hey, Chloe!” he greeted, linking arms with her and walking in front of Marinette and Adrien. Chloe hesitated for a second, then rolled her eyes.

“Did you finish the math homework?” she asked.

“We had math homework?!” Nino yelped.

Marinette glanced at Adrien. “You didn’t tell Nino that Chloe’s gay?”

Adrien jumped. “How did you know that?” He glanced at Chloe to make sure she didn’t hear, then leaned closer to Marinette, whispering. “It’s a secret, she didn’t want anyone to know!”

“Um, she’s pretty obvious about it?” Marinette said. “But, if you knew, why didn’t you tell Nino?”

“Well, why didn’t you tell Nino?”

“Because I already told him and he didn’t believe me,” Marinette said. “He’d probably believe you, though.”

“Marinette, you don’t understand!” Adrien cried. “It’s been so weird! I can’t tell him, I promised Chloe I wouldn’t. Then every time he talks to her and she responds, he gets so excited and tells me and I can’t even say anything back because I promised Chloe I wouldn’t! It’s been so frustrating and weird!”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Marinette took another sip of coffee and entered the classroom. Mrs. Bustier was actually in her space at the front of the room, talking to a couple of men dressed in jeans, white shirts, and blazers. No one was paying attention to the front, instead either talking to their friends, or quickly finishing their homework.

“Has Ivan gotten back with Mylene yet?” Adrien asked.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?” She jutted her chin towards Ivan, who was hunched over a piece of paper, occasionally looking up and towards Mylene. Mylene was on the other side of the room, talking to Alix. “He’s been working on a song to sing to her for the last month,” she said, completely disgusted.

“What happened?” Adrien walked to his seat and set his things down next to Nino. “I thought things were going good for them?”

“On their third date or something, she got sick of his songs so she told him they needed a break.”

“And he’s trying to write a song to get her back?”

“Yeah, I’ve given up on them.”

Adrien nodded. “Fair.”

“Hey, Nino, check this out!” Kim called from the other side of the room. Nino got up and went to Kim and Nathaniel’s desk. Adrien followed him, and Marinette went to put her things down at her own desk. “Nathaniel got this pen, see, but it’s erasable!”

“Oh, cool,” Adrien said.

“Show me,” Nino leaned over the desk to see Kim start drawing on a scrap piece of paper.

“See? Oh look I’m drawing but I’ve made a mistake. And because I’m an idiot, I decided to draw with a pen instead of a pencil--”

“Hey!” Nathaniel interjected. “I just don’t have many pencils, ok?” Kim ignored him and continued.

“But woah, my pen is actually the lovechild of a pencil _because it erases!’"_

“Hey, give me that,” Nino said. He took the pen and scribbled a bit, then tried to erase it. “Woah, it actually works!”

“Yeah, right?” Kim said, excited.

“Hey, let me see that,” Adrien took the pen from Nino’s hand. He drew a doodle, then tried to erase it.

“Woah, it actually works!”

“I’m telling you, it’s crazy,” Nathaniel said excitedly.

“You guys, it's just an erasable pen,” Marinette said, wandering over. “It’s not that cool.”

“Marinette, you just don’t understand,” Adrien said, forcing the pen into her hands. “Look, try it yourself, you’ll see.”

She took the pen and erased something Nino had drawn. She shook her head. “I just don’t see how it’s so amazing.”

“You just don’t understand, Marinette,” Kim said. “It’s a pen--p for pen, p for permanent. But now it’s p for pshhh it’s not permanent!”

“You are an idiot,” Marinette dead-panned. Nino shifted and forced her out of the small circle the five of them had made.

“You’re cut off, now,” he told her, snatching the pen back. “Go away. Anyone who doesn’t understand the power of the pen doesn’t deserve to be in this circle.”

“P for pen, p for power,” Kim added helpfully. Marinette rolled her eyes and went to Alya’s desk, dragging Chloe along with her.

“This is just such a cool pen,” Nino said. Adrien, Nathaniel, and Kim nodded in agreement.

“Look, I have a blue one, too.”

“Class!” Mrs. Bustier called, getting everyone’s attention. “Class is starting, please be seated. Today, we have a few guests here to talk to us about construction. Gentlemen,” she gestured for them to take the floor.

“Hello, I’m Cyrille,” the taller one greeted. He gestured to his shorter co-worker. “This is Bernard. Like your teacher mentioned, we’re here today from the Paris Construction team to talk to you about opportunities our company is offering young Parisians. Since the beginning of the Makara attacks, millions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed, millions of families have been left homeless, and thousands of people have lost their businesses. As I’m sure you’re all aware of, Paris Construction has teamed up with the government to start rebuilding the city, from the outside in.”

Bernard spoke up:

“The effort is a long-term one. Though we can lean on Ladybug and Cat Noir, there are still problems that we, as the citizens of Paris, must take into our own hands. The construction is estimated to generate 800,000 new jobs, and will last at least 20 years. Our job would be to not only build a ring of temporary living and business establishments outside the city right now, but also to create more Makara-proof bunkers in more locations around the city, clean up the destroyed city as it is now, and also re-build it to be, hopefully, better than it was before.”

“Our top priority right now is to create more bunkers, but with a large enough workforce, we would be able to do that while simultaneously building new houses outside the city.”

“We’re here to answer any questions you might have, and to hopefully get some of you signed up today for orientation with our company.”

The class politely listened to forty minutes of their presentation, and by the time they asked for anyone interested in signing up for orientation, Ivan, Alix, and Juleka raised their hands. Cyrille and Bernard called the two of them up to the front and the rest of the class was left to their own devices.

“Hey, do you want to leave?” Adrien swiveled in his seat. Marinette was looking at him expectantly. “Well? Do you want to?” she asked again.

“Is it alright if we skip classes?”

“Sure, if we get someone to cover for us,” Marinette shrugged. “Hey, Rose!” she called across the room. “We’re sick. Tell Mrs. Mendeleiv.”

“Ok. You went to the bathroom to puke, and then the nurse told you to go home. Since Adrien has a pedicab, he took you.”

“Alright, thanks.” Marinette turned to Adrien. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, sure. Let me tell Gorilla.”

* * *

Alya watched as Marinette and her boy left the room. She shook her head at the way he was looking at her. The boy was whipped, and Marinette either didn’t know, or pretended not to.

“It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” Chloe stood next to her, leaning a hip on her table and crossing her arms. She was looking at the door Marinette and Adrien had just exited from.

“I’m more sad for Adrien than anything,” Alya said. “I wouldn’t say pathetic.”

“He wants her to love him back as much as he loves her. In my book, that’s pathetic.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Alya stared at her. “He said he _loves her?”_

Chloe hopped onto Alya’s table and put her hands on either side of her. Max complained from the side, but both girls ignored him. “Well, he didn’t say it out loud, but I can tell. I’ve known him forever, he can’t hide anything from me.”

“Well, I believe in trusting--”

“Trusting but verifying, yeah, yeah,” Chloe interrupted. “Facts aside, what do you think?”

“About…?”

“About them,” Chloe nodded towards the door. “Do you think she likes him back?”

“I don’t know,” Alya said. Chloe rolled her eyes.

“You don’t have to know for certain, I just want your opinion.”

“Well how can I have an opinion if I don’t know anything?”

“It’s not like you don’t know _anything_ ,” Chloe said. "You know they hang out all the time, and hold hands, and--"

“Really,” Max interrupted. “I must insist you stop sitting on the table. It is a safety hazard.”

“Buzz off!” Chloe said. “I’ve been surviving Makara attacks for almost two years--do you think falling off a table is going to do me in?”

Alya glanced at Max. He was looking down again, clearly hurt. She reached over and rubbed his back.

“Hey, it’s alright,” she said. “She didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s alright,” Max said lowly. “She’s not the only one who finds my presence a nuisance.”

“Oh, come on,” Chloe crossed her arms again. “You’ve been moping around and acting like a victim for months now.”

“Woah, chill, Chloe,” Alya said. Chloe shook her head.

“Don’t you see? He’s using your sympathy as a crutch to stay here. The more you treat him like he’s going to break any second, the more he’s going to act like that. Hey, you, listen up. Get over yourself and go talk to Kim!”

Alya’s initial reaction was to disagree. There was no way this was just an act, he was actually hurt, he was actually sad. Then, she took a second and thought about what Chloe had actually said. She’d never said Max was faking it, not really. With Chloe, diction was important. She said that the more Alya treated him like he was fragile, the more he would act fragile. He might have been actually vulnerable at some point, when he and Kim had stopped spending as much time together, but would he have been over it by now if Alya and Nino didn’t treat him like he was going to burst out crying anytime someone had something to say to him?

“I can’t,” Max shook his head nervously, glancing at Kim. “I--”

“You totally can.” Chloe interrupted with a finality which surprised Alya. She stood up and dragged Max out of his seat. “I’m sick of you being at this desk and staring at Kim like a kicked puppy.”

“I don’t--” Chloe cut Max off with a movement of her hand.

“No, be quiet. Everyone’s seen it,” Chloe stopped in front of Kim and Nathaniel’s desk, dragging Max next to her and forcing him to look Kim in the face. “Kim. Tell your dumb friend you don’t hate him.”

Kim blinked in surprise. He must have somehow missed Chloe and Max’s conversation until then. Interesting. What had taken so much of his attention that he missed the big scene Chloe had just made? Alya studied his desk. There was nothing of much importance there, just a few scribbled on pages and a few pens. He must have been talking to Nathaniel, Alya concluded. And he must have been paying close attention to whatever Nathaniel was saying, at that, if he hadn’t heard anything between Chloe and Max.

“Oh, uh, hey, Chloe--” Kim started, but Chloe cut him off.

“No, tell your dumb friend you don’t hate him.” Chloe looked down her nose at Kim, an irritated tilt to her brow. Max buried his face in his hands, clearly embarrassed beyond all words. Kim looked between the two of them, like he was trying to connect invisible dots.

Alya suppressed a laugh. She knew Chloe was coming from a good place. In the past couple of months, she’d started to really get to know Chloe. She knew half of the time Chloe meant more than what she said, or sometimes she meant less than what it seemed. Her brusque way of speaking made it difficult for people to understand her, sometimes. It was always unpredictable, and since Alya knew what Chloe was trying to say, seeing everyone else’s reaction to her words amused Alya.

“Of course I don’t hate him?” Kim said, almost questioningly. “When did you guys get so close? I thought you didn’t like Max?”

“I don’t; we’re not close.” Chloe turned to Max. “See? I told you. Now stay here and don’t come back to Alya’s desk.” She started walking away, but Max reached out and grabbed her by the edge of her shirt sleeve. Chloe looked back, annoyed. “What?”

“Could you stay here for a moment?” Max requested, refusing to look at Kim. Alya watched the development in interest. Why on earth would Max want Chloe to stay? Alya knew Chloe didn’t hate Max, he wasn’t important enough for Chloe to like, and not irritating enough for her to despise. He was just a classmate who bothered her every once in a while. She’d helped him because, even though they weren’t friends, she wanted to help him. Alya knew that to others it would seem she helped him to get Max to leave her alone, but Alya knew better. Chloe could easily any safety lecture Max could spew; she’d apparently been ignoring Marinette’s lectures for years. Chloe was helping him because she wanted to be a part of the classroom. Max didn’t know that, though. Why would he ask her to stay?

“What?” Chloe raised a brow. “Why?” Chloe evidently wondered the same thing as Alya. She wasn’t sure why, but just the idea of Chloe thinking the same way as her made Alya happy.

“I wish to speak to Kim, but…” Max chanced a glance at Kim, who was instead looking at the representatives from Paris Construction with embarrassment. “Could you stay and help me?”

It amused Alya to see the kaleidoscope of emotions on Chloe’s face. She was definitely irritated. Alya could tell by the way she looked down her nose. She was also confused, as evidenced by the hesitation in Chloe’s answer. Her slightly pursed lips highlighted that she was pleased, at least a little, by the request, and the fact that she hadn’t left yet told Alya that Chloe cared about Max, even just the slightest bit.

“You need Chloe to talk to Kim?” asked Nathaniel, sounding almost upset. He glanced at Chloe with pure disdain on his face. “She’s awful.”

“She is controversial,” Max allowed. “Very difficult to understand, to be sure. But deep down, I believe she is a good friend.”

“I did not think we were friends,” Chloe mumbled under her breath, looking at the ground. Max obviously did not care about what she’d just said, and held onto her sleeve even more tightly than before. Alya smiled at the uncomfortable look on Chloe’s face. It was cute; she wasn’t sure what to do with her new friend.

“Max, we can just go outside and talk,” Kim said, standing up. “Chloe, you can leave if you want.”

Max tugged at Chloe’s sleeve, looking up at her with pleading brown eyes. “Please?” Alya watched as, within a millisecond, Chloe crumbled. She rolled her eyes and sighed, but Alya knew Chloe would do whatever Max asked.

“Fine. Obviously, no one in this class can get anything done without me.” The three of them trudged out of the room. Chloe shot one last look at Alya, and then they were all gone.

“Wow, that was weird,” Nino said. “I’ve never seen Chloe do anything like that. Like, ever.”

“What do you mean?” Rose asked. “Do anything like what?”

“She’s never been the type to go out of her way to help someone who’s feeling miserable,” Alix explained. “That’s always been more of a Marinette thing.”

“At least she was just as mean about it as Marinette usually is,” Mylene huffed. “What is up with those two? It’s like they only help people to be mean at the same time. It feels like they think they’re better than us.”

“Well, Chloe just doesn’t talk to people a lot,” Alya defended. “She has a filter, but she just filters the wrong words out. She doesn’t mean to be rude.”

“Marinette does,” Nino shrugged. “But you’ve gotta admit, it’s helpful sometimes.”

“At least Marinette has consistent morals,” Nathaniel grumbled. “Chloe’s like a child. Throwing a tantrum one second, then acting all high and mighty the next. She’s two-faced, and just hypocritical.”

“She’s not a hypocrite!” A voice came from Nathaniel’s side. Nathaniel screamed and jumped out of his seat.

“Sabrina!” he yelled. “How many times do we have to tell you? Give us a little bit of warning before you speak! You scared the shit out of me!”

Mrs. Bustier left, saying she had to go to the bathroom. Alya shook her head as she watched the class’s homeroom teacher leave. Even the Paris Construction representatives paused in their mini-talk to stare after her in surprise.

“Chloe’s a good person!” Sabrina said, “She’s had a hard childhood, and it’s not like anyone in class ever tried to get to know her, other than to complain about her, or lecture her. She’s a human being, you know, she has feelings. Her parents really damaged her, it’s not her fault she sometimes doesn’t watch what she says!”

“Hey, no,” Alya said, standing up and looking around for Sabrina’s shadow. “Bad behavior is bad behavior. Having a rough childhood doesn’t excuse that.”

“Yeah,” Mylene said. “And then what would you say about Marinette? Her parents are awesome, but she’s a total bitch.”

“Marinette is just the worst,” Sabrina said off-handedly.

“Yeah,” Alix nodded. Nino shrugged, too, like there was nothing else he could add. Alya and Nathaniel stared at them in disbelief. How could they not say a single word in Marinette’s defense? Weren’t they her childhood friends?

“No, no, no,” Alya shook her head and crossed her arms in an ‘X’ in front of her. “Time out. First of all, Marinette is not a bitch. She just says what she wants if someone’s doing something wrong, and she doesn't care if someone doesn’t like it. Quit perpetuating the misogynistic mindset which is already running rampant in this country, and don’t call her a bitch because of that.

“Second, Chloe has acted horribly before, yes, but she’s changing. She’s allowed to better herself. Don’t sit there and villainize her by calling her ‘hypocritical’ or ‘two-faced’ because she’s changing for the better, because that’s ostracizing and disgusting behavior.”

“Obviously you won’t accept anything we say,” Mylene frowned. “Marinette is your friend, and you like Chloe. It’s just a waste of time to try and convince you otherwise.”

“Ok, ok,” Lila stood and spread her hands out, like she was physically stopping the words in the air. “That is enough. As class representative, it’s my duty to ensure the class stays in harmony.”

“No it’s not,” Chloe said. “It’s literally not what you’re supposed to do. Have you even read what a class representative is supposed to do?”

Lila ignored her and moved towards Mylene, wrapping her in a gentle hug. “I’ll talk to Marinette later. When she gets back from ditching class.”

“She’s not ditching,” Rose piped up. “She was throwing up, so Adrien took her home.”

“I could hear you telling Marinette that was her cover-story,” Lila said. “Why are you lying?”

“Takes one to know one,” Rose said, turning away. “I know I saw Marinette looking a little green this morning. She didn’t even finish her coffee. She was definitely sick. Adrien took her home.”

Lila gave up on that fight and moved towards Nathaniel. “Now, Nathaniel. I know it’s hard because Chloe has been so awful to you before,” Lila said. “It must be almost impossible to see her face every day and hear her voice, the one which used to tell you that you were a disgrace for being gay, and then seeing her so openly like a girl.”

“Would you shut up?” Ivan boomed. The entire class paused, including the Paris Construction representatives. “Marinette is fine. Chloe isn’t even in the room. If you want to talk about her, wait until she gets back. Otherwise, shut up!”

The class didn’t move. Alya was almost afraid to breathe. Who would have thought that Ivan, who was usually so silent, could yell so loudly? And who would’ve thought he would defend Chloe? Granted, it wasn’t an obvious defense, but he stunned everyone into silence until she returned. That was something at least.

Alya sat there. Sure, she understood why Chloe wasn’t very popular. She’d been there the first few months of school, before Sabrina had been turned invisible. She’d heard all the nasty remarks Chloe had made, all the fights she’d gotten into, all the snobby comments about others she’d thrown out.

Alya had also been there to witness Chloe start to change. She was there when Chloe started trying to use everyone’s name, when she tried to apologize to those she’d tormented before, when she’d been told they could never forgive her. She’d stood by Chloe’s side as she struggled to try and better herself every day, and as she forced herself to stay strong as people refused to believe she was actually changing for the better.

Maybe it was because Alya didn’t think in the same way as other people, maybe it was because she hadn’t been personally bullied by Chloe, or seen her antics for as long, but she couldn’t understand how everyone was alright turning a blind eye to the way she was treated. Chloe was no saint, not by any means, but she was trying. That had to count for something, right? She was trying to be nice, she was trying to be helpful, and she was trying to correct her past mistakes. Why did no one want to accept that?

The door opened, Chloe stepped in, and Nathaniel glared at her.

“What?” she said. “Do you have something to say to me? Well, say it to my face.” And then the dam broke. The spell of silence Ivan had cast over the room broke, and the room burst into noise. Nathaniel was yelling at Chloe, accusing her of being a fake and only butting in for selfish reasons. Lila stood on the side, adding her perspective of the story. Rose stood by Chloe’s side, taking any chance she could to refute Lila’s claims. Nino and Alix stood by Kim, explaining the situation, and every once in a while calling out to accept Mylene’s criticisms of Marinette. After a few seconds, Kim started to do the same. Alya pulled out her phone to take a video. No one would believe her without solid evidence. Max sat next to her, watching the chaos around him with little to no understanding of what was actually happening.

Chloe turned to look at Alya at some point as Lila was talking. She pointed to her head and jerked her head, mouthing _“shoot me.”_

Alya laughed a little. Chloe was unexpected and smart and, most importantly, cute. It was obvious Chloe liked her, but Alya wasn’t sure if she liked her back. One thing was for certain, though; she wanted to spend more time with her. Who knows what would happen in the future?


	9. The Mission II (A New Family)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Noir learns more about the Miraculous. Ladybug punches Justin the pizza boy in the face. Adrien stumbles upon Marinette's new house. Gabriel confides in Nathalie how tired he is.

The Akuma blasted a beam of light at Adrien. He managed to dodge in time, but the officer behind him wasn’t so lucky. He glowed purple for a moment, then shrunk to half his size. Ladybug’s yo-yo smashed the Akuma in the face, knocking it back a few feet. Adrien extended his baton towards the Akuma’s chest, pushing it further away. It tried to fly away, hissing and spitting at everything. These were the Akumas Adrien most hated dealing with. They were the Akumas which seemed more monster than human, and were the saddest to see.

The Makara growled behind Adrien, and Ladybug yelled at the police to get out of the way. The Akuma’s furry body shook in anger, trying harder than before to get away. Adrien pushed it into the street, cracking the concrete and partially burying the Akuma. The necklace around its neck glowed, and Adrien tensed, ready to run to the side. He was not about to be shrunk to half his size.

A beam of light burst out of the necklace, hitting an old restaurant. The foundation and sidewalk in front of it cracked and crumbled as the restaurant shrunk. Adrien moved his baton to rest on top of the Akuma’s necklace.

“Cataclysm.” His fingers tingled, almost numb. He tightened his grip on the baton, trying not to let it shake with his shivering. His gloves were covered in a shade of black so dark it looked like it was absorbing any light from nearby; his fingers ached with the cold. Adrien pushed the baton further onto the necklace. He would have to be careful, but he didn’t have a choice; there was no way he was going any closer to the Akuma, and there was no way he could let the Akuma continue to roam free while he and Ladybug fought the Makara. The Akuma had no intention of helping him or Ladybug with the Makara. It kept trying to tear through the city, destroying everything in its path as it looked for...something. It didn’t matter what it was looking for; it was destructive, and useless in the fight. “Conduct.”

The darkness covering his hands traveled through the baton, like lightning conducted by a metal pole. The splotches of black magic jumped along the baton, carrying away what little heat Adrien had left in his body. His breath puffed out in front of him, a cloud of warmth in the zone of cold the magic left him in.

The Cataclysm reached the Akuma, destroying its necklace immediately. It screamed, but Adrien couldn’t afford to lose sight of what really mattered: capturing the white butterfly.

“Cat Noir, Ladybug is falling!”

Cat Noir turned around, already retracting his baton. He watched as his partner fell, her yo-yo a few feet above her. This wasn’t like her. What had happened while he was dealing with the Akuma? He broke his staff in half, transforming it into a bow and pulling the string back. He loosed the energy arrow. He willing one half of his baton to attach to the end, extending with it. The arrow caught Ladybug around the waist, and he held her up with the attached baton, moving her out of the Makara’s way.

One of the Makara’s multiple arms flailed in the general direction she had fallen, landing on the street and creating a giant crater where she would have fallen. The cops near the Makara’s hand lost their balance and fell. Adrien pulled Ladybug towards him, doing his best to ignore the time limit he was now pressed with. His ring beeped once, trying to let him know he would have ten minutes until he had to leave.

“Are you alright?” he asked Ladybug, pulling her close to check her head for any blood. He knew he should let go of her arms to check her head for any damage, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Her magic was always so warm, just being near her made the cold of his magic melt away. Touching her was one thousand times better; the ache in his fingers and toes subsided, and the pain in his head from being so cold dimmed ever so slightly. Ladybug stepped back, and he forced himself not to step towards her, to beg her to give him just thirty more seconds.

“I’m alright,” she paused, looking behind him, at the monstrous Makara. “It’s worse than usual.” she said softly.

“It’s covered in orange smoke,” Adrien agreed. “It’ll probably be double-layered, like the others.”

“Can you get my yo-yo?” Ladybug asked, pointing to the crater the Makara had just created. “I don’t want to get too close without it.”

 _“You’re running out of magic,”_ Plagg warned. _“You’ll be going into your reserves soon, and you know how that feels,”_

Adrien shuddered at the memory of his muscles feeling like they were literally on fire. He’d never felt such an intense pain, or such an intense cold before. He desperately wished he would never have to again, either.

Cat Noir shook his head. “Sorry, I’m running low on magic.”

Ladybug cursed, taking a deep breath and tensing like she was steeling herself. “I thought so. Alright, try to damage the Makara. I’ll be with you as soon as I get my yo-yo.” She ran off and Adrien pushed himself off the street, launching himself at the Makara.

The Makara stood at least ten feet above the restaurant on the road. It had arms coming from all over its body, all of varying sizes and with different things at the ends. The larger ones had humanoid hands while the others had anything from crab claws to hollow hoops which captured people in bubbles of slime. Its face was largly shielded by an orange shell, like a lobster shell. Adrien would bet his entire modeling career that there was a second shell beneath it, harder than the top layer.

He pushed himself off the ground with one half of his baton, turning the second half of his baton into a saber. He slashed and swiped at any tentacle-arm which wandered too close to him, careful not to accidentally pierce any of the people caught in the slime pockets. One particularly thin tentacle swung towards him, and he cut the entire end off. It landed on the ground with a distinct thud. The officers in charge of the liquid nitrogen ran towards it, freezing and breaking it before it could slither into one of the buildings and fill it with orange slime.

Adrien landed on the Makara’s head. It had no legs and was unable to move, but its arms could elongate as an alarming rate, destroying and contaminating anything in its reach. He’d already heard reports of slime and destroyed buildings as far as 5 kilometers away.

His ring beeped again as he anchored himself in place with one half of his baton, using his sabre half to start slashing at the Makara’s face. It huffed in irritation, almost knocking Adrien off balance. A couple tentacles moved towards him, but Ladybug caught them. Pulling her yo-yo taught, she severed the tips of the tentacles. They landed on the ground with a disturbing, slurpy _thwup_. Adrien could hear the officers rushing to destroy them. A few other officers were shooting at the freely flying tentacles.

Ladybug landed next to him. “Lucky Charm!” After a brief flash, she stood next to him with an impossibly large hammer in hand. He knew from experience that she could yield it just fine.

Adrien kept slashing at the thick exoskeleton, timing his hits perfectly with Ladybug’s. When she slammed it down, his sword was preparing to slash downward. When her hammer was over her shoulder, his sword was slashing at the shell. They only deviated from this rhythm to slash and sever the tentacles coming their way. Adrien could hear the panicked whinnies of the police pegasus as they frantically weaved through the tentacles while their riders tried to use Ladybug’s old Lucky Charm items to help fight off the Makara’s arms, too.

Adrien glanced at Ladybug, panting. His arms trembled with how long they’d been at this, and sweat crawled down his back like cold fingertips. He shivered, noting the stern set of Ladybug’s lips, and the irritated scrunch of her nose. Her mouth turned into a mix of a scowl and a sneer. Her shoulders bunched with stressed muscle, and her legs stiffened. She hefted her hammer behind her head, holding it with both arms.

“Brace yourself,” Ladybug grit out. Adrien used all his strength to slam his sabre into the Makara’s skull. The tip of it sunk one in beneath the surface, and stayed. He held onto the sabre and his baton like a lifeline. He knew how violently the Makara could shake if things started looking tricky for them.

(The Ladyblog’s highest viewed video for the next ten days would be the defeat of the Double-Shelled Makara. Parisians had become savvy to what the different colors of the Makara meant. They remembered the first orange-shelled Makara, and that it had taken the combined effort of the heroes, Akuma, and police almost four hours to subdue it. No longer.

(Not only Parisians, but international fans of the Ladyblog would watch as their hero lit up with a bright red light, encapsulating both herself and her partner. Their weapons would glow with an incomparable brilliance. Ladybug would scream, slamming her hammer down with a fury. Chunks of orange shell would fly from the Makara, and it would scream. Viewers would see officers run from the scene, a look on their face which only appears if one genuinely fears for their life.

(Ladybug’s light would dim, and she would slump on the Makara’s face; in the reportedly cool air, steam would be seen rising from her body. Cat Noir, with his glowing red sabre, would strike the final blow. His sabre would sink in the Makara’s head. Orange smoke would explode from the Makara, and the glow would disappear from Cat Noir as well, leaving the frame dull and desolate.

(The Makara would dissolve, and Cat Noir would be seen leaving with an unconscious Ladybug in his arms. Out of courtesy for the heroes privacy, Alya Cesaire, the creator and editor of the Ladyblog, would not attempt to follow them.)

* * *

Adrien wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn't just take the unconscious Ladybug to Marinette. For one thing, she’d just moved, and he wasn’t totally sure where her house was. For another, Ladybug didn’t know Marinette. Though Adrien trusted Marinette with his life, he didn’t want to risk his relationship with Ladybug on something he could avoid. He would have to find a mutual acquaintance.

Unfortunately, he could only think of one.

Adrien threw Ladybug over his shoulder and pushed off, heading towards a disgusting, decrepit, semi-hazardous apartment.

“Hey, Justin,” Adrien greeted, landing next to him right outside Master Fu’s apartment. Justin returned the greeting, then started digging around his pocket for his copy of the key. “Here, I’ll hold those.”

“Are you sure you can?” Justin looked skeptically at him. Adrien rolled his eyes.

“That’s a little bit of a stupid question.”

“Right,” Justin said, handing him the boxes of pizza. “Sorry.”

Justin let the two of them in. The lights were completely off. Adrien moved to turn on the light.

“He doesn’t like it when the lights are on,” Justin said, taking the boxes from Adrien’s arms.

“Tough,” Adrien said. “I don’t like it when the carpet smells like vinegar and piss. He can deal with the lights.” Adrien flipped the switch, but nothing happened. Adrien tried again; still, nothing. He looked up at the light fixtures. “Are the bulbs all fused?” he asked. Justin just sighed and put the pizzas down on the ‘table’ in front of the TV.

“Wayzz!” he called out. “He forgot to pay the electricity bill again!”

“Justin!” Master Fu stumbled through his bedroom door. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he was barely wearing briefs. Justin and Adrien both exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and disgust. Adrien put his free hand over Justin’s eyes.

 _“Master Fu!”_ Wayzz said. _“There’s children around. Cover yourself!”_

"Hey, I'm an adult," Adrien said.

“He’s my nephew,” Master Fu slurred, moving to give Justin a hug. Adrien pushed Fu out of the way. Master Fu fell to the ground. Justin shot him a look.

“I was gentle,” Adrien defended, hiking Ladybug higher on his shoulder. His ring beeped three times in rapid succession, and his transformation ran out. His muscles burned, and he immediately felt like passing out.

“Ugh,” Justin mumbled, peeling Fu off the floor. “He’s stuck.”

“Plagg, help him,” Adrien said, carrying Ladybug to the couch.

 _“I am not helping you.”_ Plagg told Justin. Adrien heard him hiss at something, and he imagined it was at the way his paws stuck to the carpet.

He almost lay her down, then thought better. He grabbed the pizza box and carried her to the kitchen. It smelled like rotting sadness and despair. Fu was disgusting, but it was also really sad. How could a man who was in charge of a number of immeasurably powerful creatures allow himself to sink to this level? What had happened to him? He set Ladybug down on an empty chair.

“Hey, Fu,” Adrien called out. “You’re missing out on pizza and your nephew.”

Adrien watched as Fu picked himself up. A defeated Justin helped him, guiding him to the kitchen table.

“Ugh,” Fu said after taking note of Ladybug. “It’s the wench. What is she doing here?”

“She fainted. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I brought her here.” Adrien stopped her from sliding off the chair. He opened the pizza box. “Here, have some pizza. Plagg, it’s cheese.”

 _“Sufficiently chaotic,”_ Plagg approved, jumping onto the table. Adrien grinned, scratching behind his little ears. Plagg purred unhappily. _“Stop that,”_ he demanded. _“I can’t eat when I purr!”_

“So why’d you bring her here?” Fu demanded. “I don’t want her here. Get her out.”

 _“Master, please reconsider,”_ Wayzz said, crawling into the room. _“We need to know who she is!”_

“Don’t you remember who she is?” Fu took a sloppy bite of his steaming pizza. Adrien watched in fascination as the melted cheese landed on Fu’s bare chest and the man didn’t even seem to notice. He glanced at Justin, who was already pulling out a napkin to wipe it away. “She’s the Ladybug,” Fu continued. “The Celestial of the pair. There’s not much I can do to tell her what to do.”

“Wait, what?” Adrien leaned forward. “What does that mean?”

Ladybug’s earrings beeped, and there was a flash of light in the room. Adrien instinctively closed his eyes. He was tasked with finding out her identity for Fu, but if he saw her detransform, there was no need for Adrien to know who she was, too.

“Just open your eyes, you idiot,” Fu said, his mouth full of pizza. “Her kwami doesn’t want to show me, or maybe she doesn’t want to show Wayzz. Either way, she won’t detransform as long as she’s here.”

“Why not?” Adrien demanded, taking a good look at the still suited up Ladybug.

“Do you remember when I said I’m the Master of the Miraculous and you have to do whatever I tell you?” Fu said. Adrien nodded. “Well. I lied. It’s not exactly like that.”

“Plagg!” Adrien glared at his kwami. “Why didn’t you tell me he was lying!?”

 _“I’m not sure what he’s talking about,”_ Plagg sat on the table, watching the Master with cautious eyes. _“Wayzz, explain, would you?"_

“Don’t ask Wayzz,” Fu snorted. “He’ll just lie. Ask me, I’ll tell you the truth.” The kitchen was silent. “Well!” Fu barked, and Justin jumped. “Ask me!”

“I did!” Adrien pointed. “Like, thirty seconds ago. I said ‘why not?’ You’re just too drunk to remember anything!”

 _“He’s actually not drunk right now,”_ Wayzz said. Everyone ignored him.

“I’m glad you asked,” Fu said, pulling up a second seat and digging into his third slice of pizza. “The kwamis didn’t just appear out of nowhere you know. They descended from creatures of pure magic--dragons. There’s all sorts of dragons out there, but the kwamis were created by the celestial dragon. The celestial dragon wanders around space, does its own thing, eats whatever’s in its way. Any time it came across something with a bunch of energy, like a black hole, a dying star, something like that, it would eat it. The mixture of magic and energy would germinate inside of its body and become an egg. Each egg held two babies: the twins.

“Each kwami comes in a pair. The Ladybug and the Black Cat, the Moth and the Bee, things like that. There’s a million years of stuff that happened, but eventually the kwamis were left on earth as eggs, where they were found by the earth dragon. Since they stuck around the earth dragon for so long, one half of the egg was more heavily influenced by earth magic, and the other half was more influenced by celestial magic.

“Since I’m a human, closely connected to the earth, I have absolute control over the Earth kwamis. The Celestial kwamis are a little more annoying. They should listen to me, but technically they still have a choice. So, for your pair, the Ladybug can do whatever the kwami thinks is right, but you have to listen to whatever I say.” Fu burped and stood up. “Alright, let’s watch the game. Justin?”

_“Master, you forgot to pay the electricity bill. Your credit score is going down the drain!”_

“Shut up, Plagg,” Fu grumbled. “Justin!”

“I have more pizzas to deliver,” Justin pleaded.

“Wait, wait,” Adrien got up, hands at the ready to catch Ladybug in case she needed help. “What about Ladybug?”

“Oh, I can get the smelling salts,” Justin said, leaving the room. Adrien transformed, pulling Plagg away from his pizza slice. Justin came back with a small stick and handed it to Adrien. “Just put it under her nose. She’ll wake up.”

Adrien hesitated. Ladybug was a punch first, ask later type of person. He had a modeling gig tomorrow. He couldn’t afford a black eye. He shook his head and stepped away from Ladybug.

“I don’t know how, Could you show me?”

“Sure,” Justin smiled kindly at him. Adrien mentally made a note to get him a gift the next time he saw him. Justin stood in front of Ladybug and waved the stick under her nose. Ladybug started, and just as Adrien predicted, decked Justin in the face. She leapt to her feet, looking around frantically. Justin rolled on the floor, holding his nose in pain. Adrien held his own nose, wincing in sympathetic pain.

“Cat Noir?” Ladybug looked around. “Where are...no.” Her expression fell, a look of disdain crossed her face. “Don’t tell me. Are we--”

“Justin!” Fu stomped into the room. “Are we watching the game or not!”

Ladybug covered her eyes and yelped in horrified surprise. “How the hell did we end up here!”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you here, either, Wench. Now either tell me who you are or get out.”

“Sorry, Justin,” Adrien helped Justin off the floor. “Are you alright?”

“Hold on, _what?”_ Ladybug lowered her hands and glared at the old man. “You’re demanding things from me? No, you’re the one that owes me answers!”

Justin waved Adrien off. “This is probably the only time I’ll be able to sneak away,” Justin whispered, his ‘probably’ sounding more like ‘brobably.’ Adrien saw him to the door, promising he’d make it up to him somehow. Then he trudged back to the kitchen. Ladybug’s earrings were flashing, but no sound came. Interesting.

“I’ve been working my ass off trying to save this city--me and Cat Noir both! We’ve risked our lives and our safety every time we’re out there fighting the Makara, and people are going through mutations and horrible side-effects from the Akuma, and all this time you could have fucking fixed it right after the fights?!”

Adrien watched silently from the door. It had been a while since he’d seen Ladybug this enraged. Her shoulders heaved with an effort to hold herself from throttling Fu, and her fists were clenched in tight fists by her side. It was good thing she was holding herself back. Adrien was sure that one punch from her in this state would spell the end of Mr. 800 year old Fu.

“I don’t owe anyone anything,” Fu snorted. “If anything, the world still owes me. I’ve been around for centuries; this isn’t much. In a few years, people won’t remember the name of this city, much less what’s happening right now.”

“Who cares!” Ladybug took a step forward, murder in her eyes, then took two deliberate steps backwards. “It’s not about what the people in the future remember, it’s about what the people are living through right now! How could you possibly allow everyone to suffer like this? These are your neighbors, your friends, your descendants! How could you not care!?”

“I used to care!” Fu yelled back, a vein pulsing by his temple. “I cared and I cared and look what happened to me! One day you’ll run out of everything you think makes you who you are, and when that day comes, I’ll be there and I’ll laugh and say ‘I told you so!’”

“I’ll never be like you,” Ladybug retorted. “As long as there’s someone who needs my help, I’ll never be like you!”

“We all say that,” Fu laughed cynically. “And where do they end up? Dead!”

“Being dead is better than being a heartless old man who thinks the world owes him for his own misery!” Ladybug shot back. Fu stepped towards her, shaking a finger at her face. Ladybug smacked it out of the way.

“Don’t you think I know!” Fu yelled, bringing the finger back up. Ladybug smacked it away again. “I’ve been a dead soul in a living body; I don’t need wenches like you to come to me in my own house and act like they know everything!”

 _“Master,”_ Wayzz started, but Fu turned on him and started screaming.

“Get out of here! I’ll ask her, but leave me alone!” Fu spun on his heels and faced Ladybug again. “Who are you!”

Ladybug clenched her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and stepped around the Master. She marched towards Cat Noir.

“I’m not welcome here,” she said. “So I’m leaving. You can stay if you want.” And then she was gone. Cat Noir didn’t move. Growing up, he hadn’t seen his parents ever fight. He’d barely ever seen his mom, and it was even more rare to see her and his dad together. Those few moments had been pure, staged perfection. There had been no conflict, no opinions, no problems. Now, he was stuck between Ladybug and Master Fu. One was his partner, and one was his boss. Who was he supposed to stay with? What was he supposed to do?

“Fu?” Adrien called out cautiously. “Are you alright?”

Fu turned around, tears in his eyes, but a dead look on his face. “Justin is gone, isn’t he?”

Adrien had nothing to say to that. He nodded. Fu closed his eyes, sat on the floor, and slouched.

“Fu?” Adrien called out. No response. “Fu?”

 _“He is fine,”_ Wayzz sighed. _“I will watch him. Go follow Ladybug. Figure out her identity. This is your top priority.”_

Adrien wanted to stay, to say that it didn’t seem like Fu would be ok with just Wayzz to watch him. He wished Ladybug hadn’t left. It was obvious she hated Fu, but she wouldn’t have just left him there like that. Adrien bit his lip. He glanced at the pizza box. The receipt was still attached at the top. In the dim apartment, he could made out the number to contact the store. Using the home phone, he requested Justin come with a delivery of vegetable pizza, and then went to the front door.

 _“Master,”_ Wayzz said, pushing Fu’s arm with his small turtle head. _“Please get off the floor.”_

There was no response that Adrien could hear. He opened the door and left.

The sirens had stopped, people were walking home, anxious to see if they still had one. Adrien de-transformed and joined them, asking random people if they’d seen Ladybug. Taking their word, he followed the direction she’d gone in, at some point borrowing an abandoned bicycle. The word-of-mouth directions led him to the new neighborhood, just outside the city of Paris. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment sat there, ready to be used by the steadily growing workforce. He pedaled through the half-completed streets. Any flash of red was gone in an instant, and was nearly impossible to catch up to.

He wandered around the unfamiliar neighborhood for tens of minutes, eventually losing himself in the tangled rope of streets and houses. He quickly abandoned his search for Ladybug and just tried to get back home. The sky was darkening, the temperature was dropping, and Adrien was fed up with the entire day. If he didn’t get sufficient sleep, Nathalie would insist on monitoring his sleep again, and that would lead to a very volatile conversation, he was sure.

He took a left and cursed loudly and colorfully. He’d already passed that house four times! It was impossible to mistake. The left-half of the house was built with bricks and the right-side was built out of pure concrete. It was one of the cheaper houses, built for use rather than aesthetics. He was sure whoever was living in it wouldn’t mind giving him the way out of here. He dropped the bike on the street and walked to the front door to ring the doorbell.

Not a full second after he’d pressed the button did the door open. Adrien blinked in surprise, and so did the man in the house.

“Adrien?”

“Tom?”

“What are you doing here?” Tom asked. Then he decided his question didn’t matter and ushered Adrien inside. “It’s freezing. Come in, you can tell Sabine later.”

“Umm, is this your new house?” Adrien asked, looking around. It felt like a motel. The rooms were fine, the furniture was fine, the layout was fine, but there was something missing. There weren’t rugs covering every inch of the house, and the air didn’t smell permanently like freshly baked bread. There were no unread books filling the cabinets--there were no cabinets. The few carpets they had were fresh and clean, not a single stain or ounce of character to them. The house felt cold, which was about the last word Adrien would have used to describe Marinette’s family.

“Yes,” Tom grinned proudly. “It was dirt cheap, and now we get to live in it.”

Well, that was something, at least.

“Oh, Adrien?” Sabine popped her head out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, got lost,” Adrien grinned sheepishly. “I didn’t realize you guys lived here; I was just coming to get directions on how to get out and back home.”

“It’s awfully dark outside,” Sabine glanced out the window. “Call your assistant, Nathalie. Tell her you can’t go home. It’s too dangerous.”

“Ok,” Adrien agreed. He pulled out his phone and texted the Gorilla, asking him to tell Nathalie he was at Marinette’s house and wouldn’t be back until his photo shoot the next day. “Where’s Marinette?” he asked.

The front door slammed open. “Some idiot left a bike in the middle of the street!” a familiar, grouchy voice said. Marinette came into the house, a frown on her face.

“I found her,” Tom said, pulling his daughter in for a hug. She immediately relaxed and smiled at him. When her eyes found Adrien, she blinked in surprise.

“Wow, what kind of idiot would leave a bike in the street?” Adrien asked, going to greet Marinette with a hug of his own. She was so warm, and he was still so cold from the magic he used as Cat Noir. He didn’t want to let go, but her parents were right there, and it would get weird.

“How did you find our house?” Marinette asked.

“It’s a long story,” Adrien shook his head. “But basically I got lost.”

“Oh, ok.” Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled him further into the house. “Do you want to make bread with us? I’m not sure if I told you, but we’re catering now--”

“To make money until you can buy a separate bakery, right?”

“Right. We got a lot of orders to make bread for a birthday later tonight. Want to help us? You can come deliver it with me, too, if you’re good.” She grinned up at him. Her eyes sparkled and crinkled at the end. Her mouth curved into an excited smile, and her nose pinched in excitement. She was just so cute. He grinned down at her.

“I’m always good, of course I’ll go on the delivery with you.”

Marinette and Tom worked on the main batch of bread while Sabine taught Adrien with a smaller amount. In the time the family waited for the bread to rise, they watched a movie and checked on the Ladyblog. Sabine told everyone about the book she’d recently been reading, and Adrien filled them in on his schedule for the upcoming week.

At six in the evening, Marinette and Adrien went to deliver the freshly baked bread to the birthday boy. Adrien thought bread was a strange choice for a ten year old’s birthday party, but didn’t question it. Neither did Marinette.

On their way back home, they walked along the Seine, taking a few pictures together by the water under the full moon. Once inside, Tom leant him the shorts and shirt Adrien always wore to bed when spending the night. He used Sabine’s skin-care products to get ready for the night, and crashed on the uncomfortable couch in the living room.

A few hours later, he awoke to the feeling of being moved. Tom shushed him and told him that he would not be sleeping on the couch when he was with them; family did not tell family to sleep on the couch. Sabine went to sleep with Marinette, so Adrien would share the master bedroom with Tom.

* * *

Gabriel started at the glass of wine placed in front of him. He looked up, when he noticed Nathalie, his lips curved upwards the smallest amount.

“Red wine,” she said, gesturing to the glass. “You look stressed. I thought it might help you calm down.”

“Then you should have brought out something stronger,” Gabriel huffed humorlessly. He took a sip, then leaned back in his chair, groaning as his stiff muscles moved for the first time in hours. His head tilted back, hair falling out of its usually perfect placement. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel the blood in his temples throb. He would be having a migraine soon, he could just feel it.

“What’s wrong, Gabriel?” Gabriel cracked his eyes open to watch as Nathalie stepped forward, hands in front of her, ready to do anything he asked of her, or even something he didn’t.

“I’m tired,” he admitted. His body sagged under a million tons of anxiety and doubt. “I’m so tired of this, Nathalie.” Something caught in his throat and he paused, worried he would lose his composure. He glanced again at his assistant, his best friend, the woman who he’d once loved...though she’d never known. If only she’d ever felt the same way about him. Maybe he wouldn’t be in this predicament now. But, no. He was happily married, he had a wonderful son, a brilliant son, a son he loved with every fiber of his being; a son who was, apparently, spending the night with one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

If he’d been more involved with Adrien, he would have called Adrien right then and there, scandalized that he would spend the night with a girl while he was still in high school. As it was, he didn’t have the energy. He didn’t have enough in him to hear his son’s hard tone, or the girl’s painfully true words. He was just...tired. Sometimes he felt so tired it was hard to breathe.

“I’m so tired, Nathalie,” he chocked out, putting his glasses on the desk in front of him. His fingers rubbed the tears out of his eyes, and the throbbing intensified. A ringing started in his ears, and the little light in the room burned his eyes, straight to his brain. “I keep thinking about what that girl said. I hated her at that moment, but...she was right. I left him. I chose to leave Adrien. I keep putting him in danger by calling upon Akuma I can’t even control, and now he’s spending the night at her house instead of his own.

“Would it be better to just leave Paris?” he looked up at Nathalie, an insane desperation clawing at his chest. “Those kids would still be here,” he reasoned. “Why should I have to fight the Makara when I can’t even do it properly? Those children are doing a much better job of it than I ever have.”

“No, that’s--”

Gabriel held up his hand. “No. I’m right. I can’t fight the Akuma, my business is falling apart at the seams, my wife is missing, and my son will soon grow to hate me. Or worse, feel nothing. I’m at the end of my rope, Nathalie. I am so tired. Thousands of people have left Paris. Why can’t I? Why can’t I take my son and leave?”

(Gabriel would never know the pure panic the woman in front of him felt at those words. She’d done so much, gone through so much for him. He would never know the pain she felt as he rubbed his haggard face, looking at her to give him permission to leave. He would never know the pain that look and his words inflicted on her. Though he had once loved her, he had never loved her as much as she loved him and continued to love him.)

Nathalie swallowed and took a deep breathe.

“I didn’t just come here to bring you wine, Gabriel,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

(The woman was beginning to hate herself. The lies and manipulation tainted her soul darker and darker. She did everything for the chance to have him love her, but if she ever learned he wanted her, she would never allow him to be with someone as false as herself. The first lie was the beginning of her downfall, and she was only starting to see her mistake now. She kept digging herself deeper into a pit, unable to dig her way out.)

“This was at the front door.” She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to him. Gabriel took the crumbled, dirty piece of paper from her and unfolded it, sighing as he put his glasses back on to read it. She hurried to explain as his expression fell as he read what was on the note. “No one knows who dropped it, or when it got there. We just know that it was addressed to you.”

“Thank you, Nathalie,” Gabriel’s voice was flat, and the look he gave her was dead. “I shouldn’t have been so foolish and weak. This was a reminder. I can never leave.”

(She felt no joy, just immense relief. And then immediately after, immense self-loathing.)

* * *

_My Dearest Gabriel,_

_I don’t have much time. Please find me. I’m being kept by a mad woman. I know you’ve been keeping Paris safe; that’s the man I married, that’s the man who loves me._

_Don’t forget me, please. I made a friend. Talk to her, she knows my name, she knows where I am!_

_Please, don’t leave me._

_-Emelie Adrienne Agreste_


	10. The Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stereotypical beach episode of any anime, but different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

“Hey, I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” Alya stood in front of Nino’s desk, hands on her hips. Nino looked up at her, surprised. He took off his headphones.

“With me?” he asked. “What did I do?”

Alya had to admit, he played the innocent game really well. His face was round, like a little kid’s. His eyes were large and circular, highlighting his calf-brown irises. He was looking up at her, a smile almost permanently on his lips. When he was focusing on his music, or his work, it was like a dim room, his face was serious, dim. But if he looked at you and smiled, he turned on, like a lightswitch turning on; he perked up, ready to talk about anything or everything. It was cute. But now, it was close to disgusting.

“Don’t play innocent,” Alya narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on his desk. Ivan looked at them, decided he didn’t even want to hear the argument, and moved to a different table. “I was there last week. Mylene and Lila were talking mad shit about Marinette. Alix, Kim, and you just agreed and laughed. That’s all sorts of messed up. Marinette is a lot of things, but she’s loyal. She would never do that to you. You couldn’t find it in yourselves to stick up for her?”

For a moment, Nino actually had the nerve to look confused. Then his expression cleared and he laughed. He actually laughed in her face. Alya’s face heated, and she had to force herself to keep her fists from clenching. She wasn’t anywhere near as good as Nora, but she’d been forced to take boxing lessons, too. If she lost control and whacked him in the face, she could seriously mess him up.

“I forgot you’re new!” he said, noticing how angry Alya was getting. “Hey, Alix, come here.”

“What?” she asked, chewing her gum and blowing a bubble.

“Alya’s pissed we didn’t stick up for Marinette last week when Lila and Mylene were, you know.”

Alix didn’t look confused, she just started laughing. “Oh, yeah you’re new,” she said, grinning up at Alya. “We have science first period today. Wait until Mendeleiv has to take Nathaniel to the office, then we’ll show you.”

Alya wasn’t close to convinced, but she was more curious about what they had planned for when Mendeleiv was gone than actual answers about their motives. Alya was a reporter. She wasn’t a professional yet, but she knew how to conduct an investigation. If an opportunity for new information came her way, she wasn’t about to throw that away for pride and impatience.

Alya went back to her seat and tapped her foot, waiting for class to start. Max came and sat by her, They talked for a little while about the weather, and how good the cameras were for the Ladyblog. The rest of the class filtered in. Chloe entered alone, which was surprising. Wasn’t Marinette living with her? Where was she?

Rose walked in, then Juleka and Nathaniel. Finally, Adrien and Marinette entered together, talking about something. Adrien smiled down at Marinette. She rolled her eyes and drank her coffee, but Alya could see the smile she tried to hide. Alya sighed, leaning her head on her hand. They were so cute it was almost disgusting.

Then Mendeleiv walked in. Max sat up, quieted, and pulled out a notebook for taking notes. Alya raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by his optimism. He should’ve known by now: as long as Nathaniel was in the classroom, there would be no note-taking.

“I’ll bet you fifteen minutes and Nathaniel’s out,” Adrien whispered to Nino. Alya heard Nino scoff.

“Ten minutes tops.”

“You’re on.”

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Mendeleiv marched Nathaniel down the hall. Adrien grumbled, shuffling around his bag for money, presumably. Nino just chuckled and wished Adrien better luck on their next bet. Juleka casually mentioned that Nathaniel made about fifteen hundred euros that school year alone. His dad was so proud of him for pissing Ms. Mendeleiv off every day.

Alya sat back in her seat and watched Alix and Nino expectantly. Nino threw a scrunched up ball of paper at Kim. Kim caught it, read the note, then looked at Alya, smirking. He mouthed _“Wait for it.”_

Ivan’s head hit his table with a dull _thunk_. Mylene looked back at him in worry.

Nino swiveled around and started talking to Marinette. Alya turned fully in her seat, getting comfortable and fully assessing the situation. If something was going to happen, she didn’t want to turn away half-way through because of a cramp or something. Right now, Nino and Adrien sat in the desk behind hers. Marinette sat alone, in front of Ivan.

“So yeah, that’s how I got my first tattoo,” Marinette said. Adrien was looking at her like she was the coolest person on the planet.

“So you have more?” he asked. “Where?”

Marinette opened her mouth to answer, but Nino suddenly straightened and said loudly:

"Stop, Marinette, I feel harassed!”

Lila snapped to attention in her seat and marched right over. Alya couldn’t understand why so many people in the class had a problem with her. She was sometimes annoying, sure, but deep-down, she was a good person. She was just new and wanted friends. Look at her now. She heard someone was feeling harassed, so she stood up to help them out.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Marinette asked, giving Nino a weird look.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it Marinette?” Lila said, moving to step between Nino and Marinette. Alya had to hand it to her. It wasn’t easy to stand up to Marinette, but here she was, standing up for someone she thought Marinette was harassing. “Nino feels like you’re bullying him.”

“He does not, he’s just being stupid,” Marinette rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you’re here, but could you leave? You’re really unnecessary.”

“Ouch,” Nino said. “Chill, Marinette.”

“You, shut up,” Marinette snapped. “You’re the entire reason she’s here. What’d you do that for, huh?”

“Marinette,” Adrien said, looking uncomfortable, “Here, have some coffee. I’m sure Lila doesn’t mean any harm. Right, Lila?”

“Of course not, Adri-cat,” she smiled. Across the room, Kim and Chloe looked like they wanted to pummel her to a pulp. The two of them exchanged glances and started talking to each other, but Alya was too invested in what was happening in front of her to focus on them. “I’m just here to keep the peace.”

“The peace was just fine until you showed up.” Marinette grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her.

“You’re so grouchy,” Lila frowned. “No wonder your friends don’t actually like you.”

Marinette stiffened, her expression changing into an interesting mix of total disinterest and complete annoyance.

“What did you say?” Marinette’s words were feather soft, but razor sharp. It wasn’t like her usual ‘lecture’ or ‘anger’ voice. Alya subconsciously shrunk in her seat. Somehow Lila didn’t notice she was treading on dangerous ground.

“Here you are, thinking you’re so buddy-buddy with your childhood friends, but when push comes to shove, they know who you are. They didn’t stand up for you once. Do you think they’re actually your friends? Do you think they actually like you, with what little you have to offer? Well, boy, have I got news for you--”

Adrien tried to interrupt, also looking irritated now. “Hey, Lila, don’t you think that’s--”

“Are you saying Nino is a two-faced, lying, bastard?” Marinette questioned, still sitting back, that same expression still on her face. Her foot was tapping slowly on the floor. Alya hadn’t even realized Marinette’s foot could reach the floor.

“I would have used ‘traitor,’ but if you want to be crass, ‘bastard’ works, too.” Lila tucked her hair behind her ear. She smiled innocently at Marinette.

Marinette, for her part, didn’t stand. She didn’t even move, really. She just sat there, that completely in control, but clearly unhappy expression on her face. Then she opened her mouth.

Later, Alya would try to describe what Marinette sounded like. It wasn’t like she was yelling. It was more like she was talking, very loudly, and very forcefully. She was just speaking, but her voice echoed around the room.

“If you think you can stand there and lie about my friend, you’ve got something else coming your way.” It was almost like Marinette’s voice was a physical force. Lila stumbled back, and Adrien blinked at the uncharacteristically deep and strict voice. Marinette had the ‘mean voice’ down to an art. This was different. This was the voice that your mom used when she caught you hiding your failing grades in that drawer full of papers no one ever checked; this was the tone your dad used when he caught you sneaking back into the house at 2:30 in the morning on a weekday; this was the voice of someone who clearly thought they were dealing with an idiot.

Alya watched and Marinette continued, completely bulldozing over Lila when she tried to speak. The entire class watched in silence:

“Say whatever shit you want about me, I can stand up for myself and everyone knows that. But you’re standing there trying to lie about Nino, who couldn’t tell a piece of shit to get off the bottom of his shoe, and expect me to stay quiet about it? More than that, you expect me to believe it?”

“Ask anyone, he was--”

“And where exactly do you come off spreading these types of rumors anyway? Aren’t you the class rep? Weren’t you saying you were going to fight against bullying or discrimination of any kind? Now you’re over here lying about three students in a pretty small class, and you’re constantly irritating me. There’s 15 of us. Six of us hate you. Why don’t you sit down and shut up before you annoy me more?”

“Six? But there’s only--”

“Nino, Alix, Kim, me _Rose and Chloe_ ,” Marinette said forcefully. “Don’t insinuate I can’t count. I’m Asian. I know how to fucking count to six. So now--”

“But you don’t know they hate--”

_“--shut up and sit down before you annoy me more.”_

Lila backed up and went back to her desk. Alya watched as she stared straight at the board. She didn’t put her head down, she didn’t cry, she didn’t move. No one in the class really moved. Alya glanced at Kim and Chloe. They were exchanging money. Chloe looked annoyed, but not genuinely pissed. Kim grinned, glancing at Lila.

“I thought you liked Lila?” Alya asked Nino when he turned back around, leaving Adrien on his own to calm Marinette down.

“I did at first,” Nino shrugged. “But I’ve known Marinette my whole life. If she doesn’t like someone, there’s always a reason. I trust her more than some random girl who popped up and pretended to be nice for a few weeks.”

Alya nodded. That made sense.

“Why lie? Why manipulate Marinette into completely embarrassing her in front of the class?”

Max mumbled something, packed his things, and went to sit by Lila. Nino shook his head.

“Man, that guy’s such an idiot,” he mumbled. He faced Alya again, the smile gone from his face. He spoke, voice low. Alya leaned in to hear what he had to say. “I know you’re Miss Reporter,” he started. “So you don’t have to believe me. But I was there with Rose when she was talking to Juleka.”

“On picture day?” Alya clarified. Nino nodded.

“Juleka’s had a hard life.” Nino lowered his voice. “Her dad died, you know. She saw it.”

“Was he sick?”

Nino shook his head. “He was a dealer,” he whispered, leaning close. “He owed some people money, he didn’t pay them in time, and bam, he was dead. Juleka saw the whole thing when she was a kid. It really messed her up.”

“Woah,” Alya breathed, mind racing. She never would have that Juleka, the quiet but kind girl in class, had ever gone through something that traumatic. She glanced at Juleka, but Nino brought her attention back to him:

“Yeah, then her family went bonkers. Her mom turned into a pirate or something, and her brother… well, you’ve met him. My point is, she’s had a hard life, small things set her off, and she’s really sensitive.”

“I can imagine,” Alya glanced at Juleka, who was quietly talking to Rose. “Poor Juleka.”

“Don’t let her know you know,” Nino cautioned. “She hates knowing that people know. Just don’t.”

“I mean, that’s definitely horrible,” Alya agreed. “But...what does that have to do with picture day?”

“Lila knows, too, apparently,” Nino said, side-eyeing Lila with thinly veiled disgust. “She really wanted Juleka’s spot to stand next to Adrien. Because for whatever reason, she just likes him so much. Juleka was all like ‘but then no one would see me,’ and then Lila was like ‘Wouldn’t it be better that way? Didn’t you survive because no one saw you?’ and I swear to you, that’s what I heard her say!”

Alya was shaking her head. Lila said that? The same Lila who volunteered to pass out papers every time the teacher asked for help? The same Lila who shushed the class when Mrs. Bustier was going to have another nervous breakdown? The same Lila who’d shared lunch with Alya when she’d forgotten her lunch? “No, that’s impossible. That’s impossible, Nino!”

“I’m just saying,” Nino sat back. “You don’t have to believe me, but that’s what I heard; that’s what she said.”

“No one’s that heartless,” Alya said firmly. “Especially not Lila. She’s a bit annoying, sure, but she’s nice.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, is to trust Kim and Marinette’s opinions about people,” Nino said. “Kim likes Ondine, I like Ondine. Marinette doesn’t like Lila, Lila’s dead to me.”

“Well, I like to form opinions for myself,” Alya asserted. She didn’t know who Ondine was, but she knew Lila. Just because Marinette didn’t like her didn’t mean Alya had to villainize her. 

Nino raised his hands up, like he was surrendering. “Totally valid, Dude. But just keep in mind: there’s a reason half of the class can’t stand her.”

* * *

Adrien pulled his shirt off, stretching in the sun. It had been so long since the weather was warm like this, he was determined to enjoy the day to the fullest. Even better than the weather was the fact that he wasn’t in Paris. He and almost the entire class had planned a day off, and they’d all decided to leave the city. It was always nice to get out every once in a while, but these days, it was better than in previous years. Leaving Paris was like leaving an alien world.

People had stared at them riding in the pedicab from their cars. The air had been almost thick as they got closer to working civilization, and the roads became increasingly smooth. Seeing a pristine city with no construction and no destroyed buildings was like a dream. Adrien knew he probably shouldn’t be leaving Paris, especially since he was Cat Noir, but he had convinced himself that even superheroes needed a break.

Adrien took a deep breath of the crisp sea air, and immediately regretted that decision. The air smelled like a freshly defeated Makara; his body tensed on instinct, reminded of all the danger associated with the scent. Adrien swallowed and looked down.

Marinette stood next to him in a bikini she made herself. It was Cat Noir themed, which made Adrien feel cozy inside. He wasn’t sure why, but she really liked Cat Noir. It felt nice, especially after having been ridiculed by the majority of Parisians for so long. The overall bikini was black, but it had neon green accents along it: two cat ears on the straps, whiskers on the chest, and a nose in between. There were even paw-prints on the butt. She would’ve looked totally adorable, if not for the intense, almost angry look in her eyes as she studied his swimming trunks.

“What?” he asked, feeling self-conscious with the intensity she was looking at him.

“It’s just so ugly,” she whispered to herself. She glanced up at him apologetically. “Sorry. They’re hideous.”

Adrien sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. You already said that, multiple times, on the way here.”

“She’s right,” Chloe stood by Marinette’s side in a yellow and blue bikini. She looked at Adrien’s swimwear with disappointment and _tsk_ -ed in disappointment. “You should have gotten Marinette to make yours. Look at Kim’s; isn’t it great?”

Adrien had to admit, Kim looked great. His trunks fit him perfectly. They were completely white with red streaks strategically placed to elongate his legs, and, as Kim requested, accentuate his butt. She’d also designed Nino’s trunks. They were perfectly fitted, but made completely of a zebra print, as he’d requested.

Adrien’s own trunks were Agreste originals. They were a gray monochrome checkered pair of trunks. They were just like the department store trunks except five times as expensive, and they didn’t have pockets.

“Hey, Kagami!” Alix called out to her friend, who was just getting out of the pedicab, “They’re selling squid! Grab my wallet and come get some with me!”

“Squid?” Adrien looked at Marinette, who was still sadly inspecting his swimming trunks. He covered his shorts. “Ok, I get it!” he complained. “Stop staring!”

“Sorry, sorry, I won’t anymore, I swear,” she focused instead of Kagami and Alix. “Uh, squid? Yeah, it’s a Japanese thing. They just love eating grilled or fried squid by the beach. Not too sure why.” Marinette shrugged and Adrien looked around the beach for his best bud. Nino was setting out a couple of beach towels, Nathaniel sticking umbrellas in the sand close-by.

“Did Kagami and Nino ask for matching swimsuits?” Adrien asked, noticing the zebra print on Kagami’s bikini and Nino’s swimming trunks. Marinette looked at him, an amused smile on her face.

“Nope. It was completely coincidental. They both came to me on different days asking for zebra print suits.”

“Aww, cute!” Chloe cooed.

“You should do the same for Chloe and Alya next,” Adrien said. “I think cheetah print might work for both of them.”

“Hey, I hate cheetah print!” Chloe protested.

“A lie!” Adrien said immediately. “You love cheetah print!”

“Shut up, Chloe, you’ll like whatever I make you,” Marinette said, watching as Alix and Kagami approached with sticks of squids on sticks. “That’s a good idea, Adrien. I’ll have to do that before they actually get together.”

“Then you can be the swimwear matchmaker.” Adrien laughed. “Andre the ice-cream guy should watch out, with you running the streets now.”

“They have sno-cones,” Alix said, a squid skewer in hand. She pointed behind her. “You might like it.” Kagami was already walking off towards Nino. Alix noticed and exchanged glances with Marinette.

“She was so excited they’re both wearing zebra print,” Marinette said.

“I know,” Alix rolled her eyes. “She wouldn’t shut up about it when we were in line. She kept talking about the cosmos or something? Anyway, I think the sno-cone guy will run out soon, so go get some before then. He’s got blue-raspberry!”

“Sure.” Marinette smiled up at Adrien. “Come with me?”

“Always.”

“Gag,” Chloe said. “Where’s Alya?”

“This way,” Alix and Chloe walked off, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone. They walked off towards the sno-cone vendor hand-in-hand. Adrien noticed Marinette looking behind her. He turned his head to see what had caught her attention, but couldn’t see anything of note. “What’s up?”

“I’m worried about Ivan,” she said. “He looks so sad. Look, he’s just playing in the sand by himself.”

“Max is with him,” Adrien said, standing in line. “See? He’s making a moat or something.”

“It’s not the same,” Marinette rolled her eyes. “He was so happy with Mylene. I have no clue why, but I think he misses her.”

“Do you want to get him a sno-cone?” Adrien asked, pulling out his wallet and gesturing for her to pick out a flavor for herself.

“Yeah, it might make him feel better, I guess.” Marinette looked at the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand. “It’s weirdly hot today. I don’t usually see this kind of weather until July, at least.”

“Hey, Marinette. You’re also surprisingly hot today.”

“Shut up.”

“Ok.”

They walked towards Ivan and Max, Adrien enjoying the warmth of the sand between his toes. Since he’d become Cat Noir, he’d been appreciating the warmth more and more. He knew Ladybug didn’t have the same type of magic as him. She was usually dripping with sweat and red in the face after an attack. He often looked at her enviously, wishing for just a fraction of her heat. Especially after fighting a particularly difficult Makara, Adrine was usually left trembling and blue-lipped with cold. The sun on his back and warm sand under his feet was a heartily welcomed change from the cold weather and cold magic he’d been plagued with. He was almost reluctant to eat his sno-cone.

“Here,” Marinette shoved the blue raspberry sno-cone towards Ivan. She glanced almost apologetically at Max. “We forgot about you, sorry Max.” Max’s face fell, but he continued to diligently dig the moat of the castle.

“We didn’t forget about you,” Adrien placated. “We just didn’t want to get you one.”

“That’s...better, i suppose.” Max mumbled, shovelling out another scoop of sand. He noticed a hermit crab and placed it in his hand, watching it crawl over his palm. They all stood in silence for a moment.

“Max, go talk to Kagami and Nino,” Marinette said, still looking at Ivan, worried. “I want to talk to Ivan.”

“Please,” Adrien amended. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Max stood after putting the hermit crab on the sand castle. “I’ll compliment their matching attire and strike up a conversation from there. I will be back only once you signal that it is time.” He walked off, and Adrien watched him greet Nino with an awkward wave. Poor guy, he really needed to just relax.

“What’s wrong, Ivan?” Marinette asked, gesturing for Ivan to start eating his sno-cone. She sat next to him, encouraging him to speak.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he mumbled.

“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped. Ivan ducked his head down, taking a bite of his sno-cone.

“Sorry,” Ivan said. He studied his sandcastle, playing with the sand under his hands. “I don’t miss Mylene, if that’s what you think,” he said finally. “I just miss being wanted.”

“You’re always wanted,” Adrien said, crouching next to him. “You’re nice, and you know, emotionally stable.”

“Mylene isn’t emotionally unstable,” Ivan defended. “She’s just sensitive.”

“But you don’t miss her? Then why are you moping around?” Marinette asked. “Are you ok at home?”

Ivan paused, and Adrien felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Ivan was a boy, and he was huge, but that didn’t guarantee a safe house at home. Was he alright? Would he even tell them if he wasn’t? His eyes unconsciously studied Ivan’s body. He was only wearing trunks, so his torso was exposed. Not a bruise on him. But sometimes the worst kind of abuse wasn’t visible.

“If you’re not ok at home,” Adrien started gently, “You don’t have to be afraid to tell us. We could help you…”

“Everything’s fine,” Ivan dismissed. He looked beyond the two of them. “Rose and Juleka are coming. I think I’ll ask them to help me with my sandcastle. Thanks for the sno-cone.” He handed Marinette the paper cup it had been presented in. No wonder he’d finished it so fast; it looked almost puny in his massive hands.

Adrien stood. He had enough experience being dismissed to recognize Ivan’s words as the kindest ‘go away’ he’d ever heard. Marinette pursed her lips, but nodded and followed him.

“Marinette!” Kagami ran up to them, almost knocking Adrien out of the way.

“Hey,” he complained. “I’m a model, don’t bruise me.”

“This is a sign, Marinette!” Kagami said, ignoring Adrien. She grabbed her free hand and jumped a little in excitement. “He’s wearing zebra print, just like me!”

Marinette smiled at her. “Yeah, I was so shocked when you both asked for the same print. I didn’t tell you because I thought it’d be a cool surprise!”

“No, Marinette, you don’t understand--”

“You, too?” Marinette looked scandalized. “I totally understand, I just said--”

“The stars have aligned, the cosmos has spoken--no, the gods have spoken!”

Ah, so that’s what Alix meant when she said Kagami was talking about the cosmos.

Marinette looked at Kagami like she was an alien. Adrien certainly understood why it was so weird. He had fencing with Kagami a few times a week. He’d never seen her like this. It was certainly strange.

“Alright, that’s a bit extreme, but--”

“Today, I will ask him out.” Kagami nodded her head a little. Marinette binked, then scoffed. “Sure, do whatever you want, I guess. I apparently just don’t understand.”

“You’re the best!” Kagami ran away, almost tackling Nino to the ground. Adrien watched them for a minute. Nino was looking at her, bewildered, and Kagami just dragged him to the ocean. They stood in the water, just talking and swimming a little further into the water.

“She’s totally not asking him out today.” Adrien said.

“Not a chance,” Marinette shook her head and kept walking. “She’s going to get into her head and act the situation and get excited when she imagines him saying yes. Then she’ll forget to actually do it, but she’ll think they’re dating.”

“Yikes,” Adrien winced. “That’s gonna hurt.” He knew what it was like to want to date someone and seriously confess to them, but he couldn’t imagine fooling himself into thinking Marinette had said yes when she hadn’t. He didn’t even want to think about how much that would hurt. He shook the thought away, unconsciously rubbing over the phantom pain in his heart.

“Nah, he likes her, too,” Marinette shook her head.”He just doesn’t know it, yet, that idiot. I’ll tell Chloe to tell him to go for it. It’ll be fine.”

“So, do you want another sno-cone?” Adrien asked. She knew exactly how Nino and Kagami’s situation would play out; she’d known them both for years. She didn’t know much about Ivan though. Even though they weren’t close, he knew Marinette would keep thinking about Ivan. She loved to nose into other people’s business and worry, no matter how much she didn’t accept it. He’d just have to do his best to get her mind off of him. Marinette was extremely competitive. If he just started a contest, she would forget about everything but winning.

“Another one?” Marinette asked. “Why? We haven’t even finished these?”

“One sno-cone is nothing, Marinette,” Adrien scoffed. “I can easily have like, fifteen on a day like today.”

“Well I can easily have seventeen,” Marinette said dismissively. “I was just saying we haven’t finished these, why get more?”

“Seventeen, huh?” Adrien raised an eyebrow. “I can beat that. Eighteen, easy.”

“Wanna bet?” Marinette challenged, narrowing her eyes. “We’ll get Kagami to judge.”

“Deal.”

He and Marinette grabbed Kagami (and Nino; apparently they were a package deal now) and set off towards the sno-cone vendor.

* * *

_“Give me the money, Beau!” The strange man’s hands shook as he pointed the gun. He took another determined step towards Beau Couffaine. Juleka stood frozen behind the curtains in the room. What had started as an innocent game of hide-and-seek was now turning into a waking nightmare._

_Her dad stood in the center of the room, sweat dripping down his face. He held his hands up, placating the stranger. Juleka didn’t know who the man was, but she knew that he’d been yelling at her daddy, and that he wasn’t happy. She tried to curl into herself, breathing quieter than before._

_“No, please, just a little more time!” Her dad pleaded. “I have a new buyer. Just a few more days and I’ll have enough to pay you back in full!” Juleka never met any of her daddy’s buyers. Her mom always yelled at her dad if she asked about them. When her dad mentioned the buyer, the strange man got angry, too. His eyes narrowed, and he scowled, tightening his grip on his gun._

_“No more of this bullshit, Beau,”_ _he growled. “We’ve extended the deadline already. We don’t do that twice. Now either give me all the money right now, or I’ll kill you.”_

_Juleka wasn’t sure what was happening, but she was scared. Her lower lip wobbled, but she stopped herself from crying. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew that if she made a sound and the stranger noticed her, she would be in big trouble._

_“No, please, you can’t! I have a family--kids!” Her daddy was looking around the room. She wanted to tell him to forget about the game. He didn’t have to find her--he just had to be safe. “They can’t make it without me!”_

_The other man just sneered. “You should’ve thought of that before you messed with the wrong people, huh?”_

_Before her daddy had a chance to say anything, the other man pulled the trigger. The next moment passed like slow motion. Juleka saw as the man’s cruel face was covered with the splatter of Daddy’s blood. Daddy fell, and blood pooled around his body. He groaned in pain and curled into the fetal position, facing her. He looked up, pain filling his clear brown eyes._

_The other man tucked his gun into his belt and walked up to her dad. He kicked him in the stomach. Her daddy groaned in pain, and Juleka’s eyes filled with tears._

_“You’d better be lucky one of your stupid kids wasn’t in here,” the stranger said. “I’d have killed them, too.” Then the man left._

_Her dad lay on the ground, gasping in pain. He tried to lift himself, to crawl to the desk in the room, but he couldn’t make it. He just fell to the floor, spasming in pain. Juleka was fully sobbing by this point; tears ran down her cheeks, and her thin shoulders were shaking, but she wasn’t making a single sound._

_“Juleka,” her daddy breathed out. “Juleka, sweetie, come to Daddy.”_

_Juleka, just four years old, trembled as she stepped out from behind the curtains. One look at her daddy on the floor had more tears gushing from her eyes. He shushed her, trying to soothe her._

_“Please, sweetie, Daddy needs you to get help. Go get Mommy. Can you do that for Daddy?” At first, Juleka didn’t move. Her daddy looked at her, desperation in his eyes and voice: “Juleka go get Mommy!”_

_So she ran. She ran as fast as she could, but the tears blurred her vision. She kept bumping into things and falling. By the time she got to her mom and got her to follow her back to the study, Daddy was already cold, and the blood in the room was brown and hard. She’d been too late._

_(Her mom was never the same. For years, she went insane, adopting a dissociated personality of a pirate. It had been up to Luka to care for the both of them, until their cousin Nathaniel’s parents had stepped in and taken them both in. Luka had never forgiven their mother for forcing him to bus the subways for money to survive. To this day, he refused to call the woman ‘mom’ and instead referred to her only as ‘Zoe.’_

_(From that day on, Juleka wore black; it was easier to blend into the shadows that way. From that day on, Juleka didn’t scream or shriek or cry; it was easier to be ignored that way. From that day on, Juleka didn’t draw attention to herself; it was easier to live on that way.)_

* * *

Juleka walked with Rose towards Ivan. She tugged on her bikini bottoms, a little embarrassed and self-conscious about all the ruffles and the bright color. She was thankful to Marinette for making this for her, and for making it her favorite color, but it just felt weird to wear something that wasn’t black. More than weird, it was...scary. The color was sure to attract attention, and with attention came danger.

She glanced at Rose’s black one-piece and wished, not for the first time, that she could swap with her. Sure, she thought her own pink bikini was prettier than the black one-piece Rose had been made, but it would’ve been more comfortable.

“Ivan!” Rose greeted with an enthusiastic wave and large smile. Rose was so open, it was cute. At first, it had caught Juleka off guard, and she hadn’t known how to act around Rose. Then she’d learned that she didn’t need to act. Rose was kind as long as she was genuine. In return for unwavering friendship, honesty wasn’t too much to ask.

Juleka offered Ivan a small wave and smile, accepting his invitation to help with his sand castle.

“You’re wearing black,” Ivan noted, looking at Rose. Then he glanced at Juleka. “And you’re not.”

Juleka looked down, hoping her hair covered her entire face. She knew it; she looked weird, right? And super visible? She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She felt so vulnerable, so exposed.

“It looks nice, right?” Rose patted Juleka on the back, trying to soothe her. Thankfully, she didn’t try to force Juleka to talk. This was not the time to talk; this was the time to be quiet. In fact, it was rarely the time to talk--speaking led to being noticed, and being the center of attention led to very, very bad things.

“You look good,” Ivan said. “It’s just unexpected. I thought pink was your favorite color?”

Rose snorted, piling more sand on one of the towers on the castle. “Yeah, right. Pink is Juleka’s favorite color. My favorite color is black. I just can’t wear it because ‘it’s not a girl color.’”

“Says who?” Ivan asked. Juleka listened to their conversation, playing with a small hermit crab on the castle instead of joining in.

“Says my mom,” Rose rolled her eyes. “The same person who controls my life and all my money until I’m twenty-three.” Rose had told Juleka about her familial circumstances before. It had seemed almost impossible for someone to rein in the independent and feisty Rose, but, as it was, anything was possible with money.

“Oh...that sounds rough.” Ivan pursed his lips, but looked at Rose, almost like he was hoping for her to keep speaking. Juleka didn’t know Ivan very well. She knew he was quiet, but not every quiet person was the same. Juleka was quiet and didn’t mind if no one around her spoke. It seemed like Ivan enjoyed it when other people spoke, though he wasn’t sure what to say in response. Well, he was going to love Rose, then. She could speak to herself for hours, as Juleka had discovered a few months ago.

Rose dug into the sandcastle, not noticing Ivan’s pained look and his attempts to stop her and patch the castle. “She just expects me to be exactly like her, and think exactly like her. It was so hard to get her to let me have my hair cut short like this. If I could have it my way, I’d never have to wear another pink or frilly thing again!” Juleka helped Ivan patch the castle, but Rose started attacking the other side. Ivan gave up and set his plastic spoon down.

“So, it’s not up to you?” Ivan asked hesitantly.

“Hell no,” Rose sighed. “It’s all about my parents at my house. My dad’s in charge of my mom, and my mom’s in charge of me. It’s stupid and mysogenistic, and I hate it, but there’s really not much I can do about it until later.”

“Do they...expect certain things from you?” Ivan looked down at his castle, actively avoiding Rose’s eyes.

“All the time!” Rose exploded. “I need to have girly friends and girly hobbies and girly interests and not have boyish interests, and the list never ends! It’s like, no matter what I do, I’ll never be good enough, just because I’m me, and that’s so not fair!”

“I understand,” Ivan said. “I completely understand. My mom expects a lot of weird things from me, too.”

“Like...what?” Juleka asked hesitantly. She usually hated speaking in front of strangers, but Ivan wasn’t really a stranger. He was a classmate. She just wanted to make sure he was safe at home. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she found out later that something bad had happened to Ivan and she hadn’t even bothered to ask him about it.

Then again, it could be something totally harmless. Juleka’s mom had expectations of her, too. She expected her to say “ahoy” any time she stepped on board their boat, and use only sailor’s jargon. It was a lot of expectation, but nothing horrible, just annoying.

“Like, my future, I guess,” Ivan paused for a second. “I look a lot like my dad, and she’s been mad about that since they got divorced. She...she expects me to get with Mylene.”

“Don’t you like Mylene, though?” Rose asked, ignoring the sand castle. “So what’s the problem?” Juleka played with a few shells on the floor.

“I do like Mylene, but only as a friend. I was sad when we broke up, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized we were probably just better as friends. But my mom...she says that since I’m fat, and Mylene is too, she’s the only one who’d like me.”

“What the hell?” Rose asked, outraged. “And you believed her?”

“My mom said everyone else is too good for me,” Ivan mumbled. “Because I can’t even take care of myself enough to watch my weight.”

“That’s awful,” Juleka whispered. Rose wasn’t so nice about it.

“That’s the biggest lie ever, Ivan!” Rose didn’t frown; Rose wasn’t really able to frown--the most her face could pull off was a light pout. “She’s just jealous because you’re sweet, and kind, and she’s, no offense, a bitch.”

“She’s my mom,” Ivan said. “She’s probably just looking out for me, in the way she thinks is best.”

“No, she’s just jealous because you’re like your dad, who I’m assuming is a better person than her. And now that she’s alone, she wants you to be miserable, too!”

“You don’t really know her,” Ivan defended uncomfortably. “She’s had a hard life.”

“Having a hard life doesn’t excuse anyone being mean to anyone else.” Rose said firmly. “You deserve more, Ivan. Right, Juleka?”

“Right.”

“You guys, what the heck are you doing here?” Alix ran over to them, glancing over her shoulder. “We’ve been looking for you forever. Come on, Adrien and Marinette have been competing forever and Marinette keeps losing--it’s the funniest thing ever!”

“Coming!” Rose chirped. She bounced up, pulled Juleka to her feet, and then waited for Ivan. They followed Alix to the sno-cone vendor.

“So, it started with sno-cones,” Alix said. “It was like, who could eat the most sno-cones, right? So Adrien won, and Marinette couldn’t accept for whatever reason, so they moved on to see who could eat the most grilled squid--and Adrien won again! So, the guy can out-eat our girl, so what, right? Yeah, no Marinette was deeply offended for some reason, so she insisted they have a race, but Adrien is over six feet tall and Marinette is five foot zero if she stretches, so Adrien won. And now they’re doing team sandcastles and you guys need to join.”

“I call Ivan!” Adrien yelled out, noticing the four of them approaching. “And Alix!”

“That’s not fair, I wanted Ivan!” Marinette yelled at him. Nino crouched by her side, laughing silently and nudging Kagami. Juleka even saw her smile back at him. Cute.

“Too late, loser, you should have called him sooner!” Adrien taunted, gesturing Ivan over.

Marinette cried out in frustration, then turned to Rose and Juleka: “So get over here,” she said impatiently. “You’re giving him more time with more people!”

Juleka and Rose went next to Marinette, working with Nino, Nathaniel, and Kim. Kagami sat on a towel next to Nino, but didn’t do anything, saying that she was the judge. Adrien built his castle with Ivan, Alix, Chloe, Max and Alya.

Fifteen minutes later Kagami called time. The tower Rose had been working on crumbled, and Kagami said Adrien won.

“That’s not fair!” Marinette insisted. “He had way more people, and Rose and Juleka came over after Ivan and Alix went to help him!”

“I am the judge and Adrien has won,” Kagami said, not moved an inch by Marinette’s plea.

“If you’re going to be like this, I won’t buy you a milkshake ever again!”

“I don't like those milkshakes, Marinette,'' Kagami actually rolled her eyes. “That’s just you.”

Marinette frowned at her and turned to Adrien. “Alright, that was obviously rigged.”

“What?” Adrien laughed, pulling her closer to hug her. “Come on, calm down you little loser.”

“I’m not a loser!” Marinette fought her way out of Adrien’s arms. Adrien just laughed, totally oblivious of how awkward it was for everyone else when he flirted with her like that. Juleka silently sighed; what an oblivious guy. Marinette frowned at him, then pointed at the ocean. “Alright, let’s play chicken. Everyone, team up--Adrien, you’re on my team.”

“What, so you can finally win something?”

“It’s just because you cheat!” Marinette asserted. She turned to everyone. “So, get in teams. Let’s play!”

“What’s chicken?” Chloe asked, looking around. Alya explained.

“You pair up in teams, the taller person on the bottom. The person on the bottom carries the shorter person on their shoulders, and the people on top wrestle with each other to push each other into the water.”

“Ok, that seems simple enough. Ivan, be my partner.”

“No way, Ivan is my partner,” Rose clung onto Ivan’s arm. “Go be Nino’s partner.”

“Ew, no way.” Chloe wrinkled her nose. “Kim, come here. You’re my partner.”

“Alright, then Alya, looks like you’re with me,” Nathaniel grinned. “Ready to win?”

Marinette turned on him, a fierce fire in her eyes. “You’re going to lose,” she grit out, way too serious for such an inconsequential game. “Alya, watch out, you’re going down.”

“Wait, I don’t want to be with Max,” Alix complained. “We’ll lose!”

“You can be my partner,” Juleka mumbled.

“Then, who’s going to be with Max?” Nino asked.

“So the teams are me and Adrien, Ivan and Rose, Alya and Nathaniel, Chloe and Kim, and Alix and Juleka.” Marinette said, ignoring Nino.

“But what about Max?” Nino asked again, pulling Max into the circle.

“I can hold Rose and Max,” Ivan volunteered. “I have fat shoulders.”

“Hopefully that helps us.” Rose patted his bicep.

“Fat chance!” Marinette said, frowning at anyone and everyone around her. “Can we get in the water already? I’m ready to cream you all!” Juleka saw Alya shake her head in resignation behind Marinette.

“Calm down, Palm Face,” Nino covered her face with his hand, but it didn’t work. She shoved her arm away and glared at him.

“I’ll calm down when I win!”

“Alright, alright, guys let’s get in before Marinette explodes,” Adrien said good-naturedly. He scooped her up and put her on his shoulders, holding her hands to help her keep balance until he actually got in the water. As his feet hit the water, he yelped. “It’s cold!”

“Quit being a baby. March!” Adrien probably didn’t see, but Marinette pointed further into the ocean. 

“Yeah, I’d like you to say that when you feel this,” Adrien mumbled, bravely trudging in further. Juleka followed, Alix pulling her along. The water wasn’t as cold as Adrien made it out to be. She and Alix shared a look. When they were deep enough, Juleka went under the water, surfacing after Alix was safely on her shoulders. Ivan, Rose, and Max were getting situated, too, while Chloe and Alya chatted, perched atop Kim and Nathaniel.

“Are we good?” Adrien asked the group. Marinette leaned far to the left, forcing Adrien to move.

“Who cares if we’re good? We’re starting!”

Juleka ran away, ignoring Alix’s protests. She’d never seen such an intense look in Marinette’s eyes, and she didn’t want to be near her at the moment.

“Go back!” Alix said. “I can fight her off, trust me!”

“No thanks!”

Behind them, Juleka could hear someone splash in the water, and Marinette laughed. Nino and Kim were telling her to calm down, but she kept telling them to shut up and come closer. Juleka kept escaping, hearing more splashes in the water. At some point, Chloe screeched that she hadn’t needed to be so rough, but Adrien had just laughed and Marinette ignored her.

“Well, now you have no choice,” Alix said, bored, on top of her shoulders. “We’re the only ones left.”

“What?” Juleka turned and her heart stopped. Adrien was following her, a big friendly smile on his face. Marinette was on top of his shoulders, a sinister grin spread across her lips. There was no way Juleka was dealing with that. “Sorry, Alix!”

“What do you--hey!”

Juleka pushed Alix off her shoulders and ran back to shore, where everyone was glaring at Marinette with varying levels of sincerity.

“You just ditched Alix?” Nathaniel laughed.

“You can laugh all you want,” Juleka said. “You didn’t see the look on Marinette’s face. I’ll say sorry to Alix later.”

“Juleka, bro, we all saw that look on Marinette’s face,” Nino said. Kagami stood by his side, an arm around Nino’s waist.

“She gets like that when she’s frustrated,” Kagami confirmed. “We’re not sure why and we don’t know how to stop it,”

“Personally, I don’t really want to stop it,” Adrien said. “It’s kind of adorable, you know?”

Nino gaped, and Kagami raised an eyebrow at him. Nathaniel walked away, stating loudly:

“Alright, I’m not going to be forced to listen to that kind of crap until you guys are actually dating.”

Marinette bounced over, a triumphant grin on her face. She grabbed Adrien’s hand and swung it back and forth.

“I told you I’d win!”

Nino opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. There was a commotion around them as people ran away from the shore. The surf was receding, and there was a huge swell in the distance. People ran up to Juleka’s group, pushing and pulling at them to run away, saying there was a tsunami coming.

Chloe grabbed Max and Alya, the two closest people to her, and ran towards the street. Juleka followed, joining her classmates in their mad-dash to anywhere but the beach.

“What is that?!” Juleka turned her head, trying to see what the woman had screamed about. She froze in her tracks. Nathaniel pulled her arm, glancing behind to see what had caught her attention.

“Makara!” he screamed. “Call the police, call the news--everybody evacuate!”

Juleka held onto Nathaniel’s hand like a life-line, losing Rose in the churning crowd. She glanced at the sky; no Akuma yet. They were unpredictable anyway, there was no guarantee one would show up.

She ran. The people around her tried hiding in the closest buildings they could find. She and Nathaniel stopped them when they could. Hiding in buildings would be more dangerous than just running away. What they needed to do was run, not hide, and get as far away as possible.

Every Makara was unique, and they all had different ‘powers,’ in a sense. They all had one thing in common, though: they all destroyed. That was their one purpose, and they all did it extremely well. Until Ladybug and Cat Noir appeared, everyone would have to just run and hope to everything holy that this Makara couldn’t move very fast.

“They’re here!” Nathaniel panted, pointing up at the sky. Juleka looked up just in time to see Ladybug swoop by. Cat Noir’s staff slammed into the ground right in front of Juleka, and she had to jerk to a stop to keep from running into it. The baton burrowed into the cement, breaking up the street as Cat Noir used it to vault himself through the air and towards the beach. In a second, it was gone, and the superheroes were out of sight.

Juleka ran and ran, following Nathaniel as far from the beach as their legs would carry them. They felt the ground tremble beneath their feet, the air vibrated with the strength of Ladybug and Cat Noir’s powers. People continued to scream, and the Makara moaned in pain.

“Stop,” Nathaniel gasped. “I can’t...I need a break.”

Juleka grabbed Nathaniel’s phone and opened the Ladyblog. There was a post about the Makara attack, with general outlines for how to stay safe, and what to expect. There were a few shaky videos, but no real footage, like Juleka was used to. Someone had posted a video of Ladybug attempting to hit the Makara with her yo-yo, but the Makara dissolved into sand and retreated into the ocean--then the video ended. Having such little information was so frustrating. What was happening? How were the heroes faring? Did anyone know what was going on? There weren’t even sirens blaring--how would anyone know when the attack was over?

Juleka gave Nathaniel the phone back, and told it was time to keep going; they had to go. With almost cinematic timing, Juleka felt a building fall. It had happened enough in the past couple of years that she knew exactly what that felt like. From the sound and feel of it, it was probably a two-story building. Since it had been by the beach, it was likely a house or restaurant.

(Juleka would later reflect on how messed up it was that she knew through experience the type of building that fell, just by feeling the vibrations of it falling.)

“Any news?” Nathaniel asked, puffing as they ran further from the beach, and further from their friends. Juleka hoped they were ok, but she couldn’t do anything for them now. They’d already separated, it would be impossible to find them now. She would just have to hope they were running, too, and staying safe.

“The Makara turns to sand or liquid whenever they try to hit it,” Juleka said. “That’s the last I saw. There’s no cameras.”

Nathaniel cursed. A shadow flew over them, and Juleka’s eyes widened.

“Akuma!” she said. “Into the alley!”

If there was just a Makara, the best move was to run. With an Akuma on the loose, Juleka and Nathaniel would just have to hide and hope it didn’t come near them. The Akuma were so unpredictable, there was no way of telling whether they were going to fly around the city to destroy it, or whether they were going to help Ladybug fight the Makara.

Nathaniel pulled out his phone and opened the Ladyblog. No updates. They would just have to stay until the heroes announced everything was safe.

So, they stayed. Juleka shivered. A one-piece swimsuit wouldn’t have been too much better, but shoes would have helped. Nathaniel rubbed his arms, fighting with the cold. The day itself was warm, and the sun still shone brightly in the sky, but Juleka and Nathaniel could both see their breath in the air. It was probably the Akuma’s doing. It had been sweltering until it flew above them.

Juleka and Nathaniel refreshed the Ladyblog every few seconds, praying for any sort of update, or any information at all.

A few people eventually came and hid in the alley with them. A nice man let Juleka borrow his jacket. Nathaniel and the people spoke, and he told them about how in Paris there were underground bunkers for this exact situation. This was the first time in a year and a half they’d had to stay above-ground for an attack.

The company, though foreign and uncomfortable for Juleka, did make the time pass by more quickly. Juleka continued to refresh the Ladyblog, reading out even the smallest update for the crowd.

Almost an hour after the attack started, Alya was approached by Ladybug herself, and told to announce that the attack was over. Juleka read the announcement to the people in the alley.

“So, what do we do now?” a woman asked. She looked at Nathaniel.

“Now everyone goes and sees if they still have a home to go back to,” Nathaniel said, standing from his seated position. His orange swim trunks were brown from the dirt and grime on the floor. “If you don’t, you’ll have to go to the government office and get your portion of the catastrophe fund.”

“Isn’t that just a Parisian fund?”

“Nope,” Nathaniel said. Juleka gave the man his jacket back, immediately missing what warmth it offered. “There’s a fund in every city, but the amount given to Paris was extra large. No one knew that the Makara attacks would stay in Paris, so the fund was set up in every city. I’d recommend you check really quickly--money is given out on a first-come first-serve basis.”

Everyone fled, for the first time facing the worries that Parisians had to think about almost daily.

“You should post that on the Ladyblog,” Juleka said to Nathaniel. “They can’t be the only ones who didn’t know.”

“Yeah, alright.”

Juleka ended up typing it all out for Nathaniel while he borrowed someone’s phone to call a pedicab company to take him and Juleka home. That night, the news revolved around the strange Makara attack on Honfleur and what this could imply about future attacks.

* * *

Nathalie’s heels clicked on the wooden floor of the cabin. She hated stepping inside, hated the almost giddy feeling she got when she walked away from Emelie. Keeping Emelie locked away was wrong; she knew that. She should turn in the woman who was keeping Emelie locked up. She couldn’t, though. She’d known for too long, she’d spoken to Emelie too much, she’d dug herself in too deep. At this point, she just needed to keep going, until someone won, or someone lost.

“It didn’t work,” Pisces said, not turning to look at Nathalie. “I sent it to another city, like you told me to. They all showed up: the Ladybug, the Black Cat, and the Moth. It didn’t work. She isn’t budging. She won’t change the past.”

Nathalie watched passively as Pisces’s shoulders slumped. So, she thought she was the only one suffering? She thought she had the right to complain to Nathalie? Internally, Nathalie yelled at the woman.

_“This wouldn’t have been happening if not for you! Don’t act like the victim, I haven’t made you do anything! Keep your worries to yourself, I don’t want to hear about them anymore, I don’t want to be here anymore!”_

But it was too late. Pisces had seen Nathalie, and vaguely knew why Nathalie hadn’t turned her in yet. For better or for worse, Nathalie was now Pisces’s partner in crime.

“Don’t get discouraged,” Nathalie said. “They can only stop you for so long.” Pisces turned to face her, eyes rimmed in red. “You and I both know that Gabriel Agreste is dishonest filth. He deserves this, and it’s time everyone else learned that, too.”

“But what if--”

“It’s too late for doubts,” Nathalie said sternly. “You’ve started on this path. You must ensure you see it to the end, whatever that may be.”

Pisces took a deep breath, half-sobbing. She nodded to herself, hugging herself tightly.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “I started all this. I wish I could go back and stop myself.”

“That’s not how we live,” Nathalie said coolly. “We make our beds, and we must lay in them.”

Pisces turned away from her. “I know,” she said. “That can’t stop me from dreaming.”

“Dreams can be dangerous,” Nathalie whispered. “Keep your focus on your mission. Anything else will just distract you.”

Pisces didn’t say anything else. Nathalie turned and left, her heels smacking the wooden floor. Click. Click. Click.

* * *

That night, Gabriel was surprised to open an email from Nathalie requesting a few weeks off from work. In all her time working for him, she’d never taken time off. He, of course, gave her as much paid time off as she required, gently asking if there was anything he could help with. An answer came back to him in seconds. Her fathers, who had taken a holiday in Honfleur. They had perished in that afternoon’s Makara attack.

Gabriel couldn’t find the words in him to respond. She knew that he was Hawkmoth. She knew that he was supposed to protect all civilians from the dangers of the Makara. She might not say it directly to his face, but he knew she would blame him for the death of her parents.

“Adrien,” Gabriel entered his son’s room, a bottle of wine in one hand, and two wine glasses in the other. “Do you have plans this evening?”

His son stared at him, drying his hair with a towel.

“Father?” he asked. A part of Gabriel’s heart withered. He had once been ‘dad,’ never ‘father.’ ‘Father’ is what Gabriel had had to call his own sire, who had never once tried to be kind to him. “Is everything alright?”

“No,” Gabriel sighed and sat on Adrien’s bed. He filled one glass with red wine and took a large sip. Adrien took the other glass, poured some wine in, but didn’t drink any. He took a seat next to him instead.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nathalie’s parents died,” Gabriel studied the ceiling. That wasn’t all, but that was a good place to start. Everything was crumbling in front of him, now even his assistant’s life was being tainted by his bad luck.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Adrien said slowly. “But why are you so sad about it? It's not like you were close, right?”

There was no way Gabriel could explain, so he ignored the question. “I got a note from your mother” he said instead, taking another weary sip of wine. Adrien loved the bitter taste of it, but Gabriel preferred a nice dry white wine.

“What?” Adrien jumped in shock. “What did it say?”

“To save her. To not forget her.” Gabriel studied Adrien. “Will you hate me if I said sometimes I wish I could? Forget her, I mean, and life on without her memory weighing us down.”

“No,” Adrien said, swirling the drink in his glass and taking a small sip. “I would completely understand.”

The two men sat in silence. Gabriel sighed, pouring more wine in his glass. As much as he loathed to admit it, that Marinette girl had been right. He’d been neglecting Adrien. Here they were, just the two of them, drinking wine, and neither of them had anything to say to the other.

Adrien’s phone buzzed, and he jumped on it, a smile forcing its way on his face. Gabriel sipped his wine, watching his son with interest. How long had it been since he’d seen him so openly excited about anything?

“Who’s that?” he asked curiously.

“Marinette,” Adrien said. His tone was light, but Gabriel knew that look in his eyes. Adrien was prepared to argue with him if Gabriel said the slightest thing about her. Well, he was worried for nothing. For an upcoming fashion designer, offending the head of Agreste was no small decision. She’d jeopardized her future in order to stand up for her friend. More than that, she’d jeopardized her future in order to stand up for his son. That was the kind of person Adrien needed in his life, someone with merit. Merit-nette. Ha ha.

“Are you close?”

“She’s my best friend.” Adrien typed on his phone, not looking up.

“What happened to Chloe?” Gabriel asked. He’d seen Chloe around Adrien since they were practically babies. Had enough happened in the past year that they were no longer friends? Just how much had Gabriel missed?

“That’s different,” Adrien put his phone away and took another sip of his wine. “Chloe’s like a sister.” The amount of relief Gabriel felt was almost embarrassing. He might not be caught up with Adrien’s current life, but at least he was still close with Chloe. “Marinette is...Marinette is different, I don’t know. Anyway, I won’t drop her just because you say, so don’t even think about asking.” Adrien filled his glass with more wine and looked cautiously at Gabriel.

“I wasn’t going to say that at all,” Gabriel said, hurt that his son would think so little of him. How long had it been since they’d sat and talked? How little did they know each other now? How long had it been? “Invite her over.”

“What?” Adrien blinked in surprise, his glass hovering in front of his mouth.

“Invite her over,” Gabriel reiterated. It had been too long since Adrien felt comfortable in this house, in his presence. It wouldn't change overnight, but Gabriel was Adrien's dad. It was his responsibility to take care of him, in any way he could. “Any friend of yours is welcome in this house.”


	11. Adrien's House II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes to Adrien's house again, an Akuma attacks a surprising location, and Peizhi Fu has a nightmare. Marinette drags Adrien to her house.

“Are you sure it’s alright if I’m here?” Marinette asked, stepping out of the pedicab. “The last time I was here, it seemed pretty obvious that I wouldn’t be welcomed back.”

“You’re fine,” Adrien assured, for the tenth time. He opened the door to his house and led her inside. “Come on, have you seen my room?” Marinette shook her head and followed Adrien through the contours of his house. It was almost completely empty. Nathalie was still gone, preparing the arrangements for her fathers’ funerals. They were pretty much alone in the house.

He tried not to show how nervous he was, or how fast his heart was beating. Here was the girl he was seconds away from falling irreversibly in love with, and now she was going to his room. He glanced to his side where she walked beside him. His chest felt tight, like there was too much happiness and not enough space to store it.

“Are you ok?” she asked, her unusually blue eyes studying him. Adrien couldn’t help smiling at her, even if he wanted to.

“Totally,” he said. “I’m just really happy you’re here. I missed you.” He straightened his pastel pink t-shirt, happy that he’d actually had the foresight to get one before she came over.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Shut up. You saw me yesterday.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t miss you, though,” Adrien countered, opening the door to his room for her. Marinette stopped at the entrance and gaped.

“This is your room?” she blinked. “I knew you guys were rich, and this is a huge house, but… is that a rock-climbing wall?”

“Yeah,” Adrien shrugged. “My mom had it put in. She didn’t really like me leaving the house much, unless it was for a pre-approved activity.”

“Oh, that’s weird,” Marinette scrunched her nose and continued to take in the room. Adrien closed the door behind him, heart pounding. She was here, in his room, and the door was now closed. He was sure nothing would really happen. They weren’t dating, and she didn’t seem interested in him, really--not yet, anyway. He wiped his sweaty palms on his strategically black jeans.

Adrien flopped on his couch and looked around for his TV remote, waiting for Marinette to join him so they could watch a couple movies together. They always watched movies in pairs. First they would watch a horror or action movie Marinette wanted, and then something Adrien chose. At first she’d complained a lot about the romantic dramas he chose, so he usually opted for rom-coms instead, now. Surprise, surprise, she’d liked them. Adrien had known she would--no one could resist the charm of a good romantic comedy.

“What’s this?” Marinette asked. Adrien twisted in his seat to see what she was talking about, and he felt heat radiate from his cheeks in embarrassment. He jumped over the back of his couch and tried to grab the box from her hands.

“It’s none of your business!” he said, trying to grab the box. Marinette turned, giving him her back, and tucked the box by her stomach. “Give it back!” Adrien reached around her, basically hugging her from behind, and tried to pull it away from her. Damn her for being so strong.

“Is this box-dye?” Marinette laughed. “Why on earth would you dye your hair?”

Adrien suddenly didn’t care to be a gentleman and picked her up from the back. She let out a little yelp, but didn’t seem to mind too much. He held her up with one arm and used his other to try and grab the box from her. She kept squirming and holding it in places he couldn’t, or wouldn't, reach. This was obviously pointless,

Adrien just spun her around to his bed and threw her. She laughed a little. She was always smiling and laughing when it was just the two of them; the total opposite of when she was at school. Adrien liked to take it as a sign--they belonged together.

She rolled away from him, but he jumped on top of her, pulling her to face him. Her hands still clenched around the box-dye box. He captured both her hands and pulled them above her head, struggling to get it away from her.

She, apparently, did not like the position and pulled an uno-reverse on him. In a second, Adrien was on his back, and Marinette was hovering over him, a smirk on her face. She shifted and sat on his stomach, surprisingly heavy. He shot her an irritated look, and she, in turn, did not care at all. She held the box up and shook it, smiling.

“Why do you have this?” she asked, completely amused, and totally unaffected by their position. “And why are you so embarrassed by it?” She poked him in the cheek. Adrien scowled at her and pushed her hand away. He wasn’t going to respond. He wasn’t; she couldn’t make him. Marinette poked Adrien’s forehead. “You’ll get wrinkles.” She did a horrible job of imitating his voice, and Adrien couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Shut up,” he mumbled.

“Ah, he speaks,” She sat up, triumphant. Adrien really wished she would get off of him. He knew she didn’t like him like that when he wasn’t Cat Noir, but it was kind of disheartening for her to sit on him and be totally unaffected. He liked her--he really liked her. It hurt when she was so close and she acted like nothing was happening.

Adrien swallowed. It wasn’t like he kept a lot of secrets from her. He’d already confessed to her so many times (regardless of whether or not she took him seriously). It was embarrassing to say, sure, and pathetic, but he really had no reason to lie. She was more than the girl he liked; she was his best friend--he wasn’t going to keep more secrets from her than he absolutely had to.

“It’s black box-dye,” Adrien mumbled, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. “So obviously, I’ve been trying to dye my hair black.”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Marinette leaned forward and played with his hair.”You look good as a blonde.” He felt conflicted. It was nice to have her touch him in any way, but it was so frustrating when she obviously meant it in a purely platonic way. Was she doing this on purpose? What more did he have to do to make her understand that he really, truly cared for her--as more than just a really good friend? Adrien moved his hand away and looked straight at Marinette, not even trying to keep the frustration from his voice.

“Because I like you, Marinette. I’ll tell you a million times if I have to, but I really like you--and not only as a friend. You and Alix were saying you liked dark haired guys, and if it gave me even the slightest chance of you liking me back, I was going to dye my hair black.” Adrien huffed in exasperation. “Not that it mattered. For whatever reason, the dye doesn’t stay in my hair.”

After hours of questioning, Plagg had finally explained that it was because the magic of the Miraculous didn’t like it. The Black Cat’s costume included a disguise to keep the user’s ability a secret. If his natural hair was blonde, the magic would make Cat Noir’s hair black. To keep the identity secret, the magic would keep changing Adrien’s hair back to its original blonde. On the plus side, it also kept his hair from being damaged, and whenever Adrien de-transformed, his hair was silky-smooth, as though he’d just deep-conditioned his hair. On the downside, any dye he put in his hair only lasted between transformations. There was no way he could tell this all to Marinette, though, so he just left it at a ‘for some reason’ explanation.

Adrien continued to watch Marinette, still sitting on top of him. He pursed his lips and sighed, about to push her to the side and change the subject--to ask which movie they should watch. Marinette didn’t let him get that far, though.

“That’s stupid as shit,” she scowled at him. “Why on earth would I like someone only for dark hair? What kind of idiot would change their mind over a hair color? Do you really think I’m that shallow?”

“I just thought it was worth a shot,” Adrien defended. “If you’re going to keep yelling at me, could you get off of me, first?”

“No way, I have you right where I want you.” Marinette said, a sly smirk on her face. “If you want me to move, you’re going to have to make me.”

“There’s no way I’m going to wrestle with you on my bed! What if someone comes in?!”

“Shut up and listen to me, alright?” It was too easy for Marinette to sound rude and harsh. It was a good thing Adrien knew her well enough to not be hurt by her hard tone and mean words. Adrien rolled his eyes. Sometimes it would be nice if she just said ‘Would you just listen to me?’ like a normal person. “This is a secret, alright?” She looked uncomfortable, like she was divulging something she hadn’t told anyone yet. Adrien perked up. What could it be? She was in a gang, she had multiple tattoos, and she was a martial arts expert. How many more secrets could one girl have? “I don’t just like Cat Noir because of the interviews and posts on the Ladyblog,” she said. “I know him. Sometimes he comes to my house. Or, he did, before I moved. We would watch movies and talk and...he’s met my family. I like him because of him, not his looks, alright?”

A deep-seated feeling of discontent rose within Adrien. If only he hadn’t gone to Marinette all those nights at Cat Noir, then he wouldn’t be in this complicated situation right now.

“He’s a superhero,” Adrien said after a brief pause. “You don’t even know who he is outside of the mask. You can’t even _meet_ him out of the mask. How exactly do you plan on doing anything in the future with him? Since when are you the type of person who’s alright with just liking a guy from afar and then letting him go?”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open, a stunned look on her face. Either she hadn’t thought about it that way, yet, or she wasn’t expecting him to call her out like that. It didn’t matter too much to Adrien. He just wanted to say his piece and then get her off of him. He put his hands on her waist, about to shover her to the side.

The door burst open. Gorilla entered and narrowed his eyes at the two of them. Adrien stared at him, and Marinette blinked. She would usually have just the thing to say to get Gorilla to leave them alone, but she was silent.It was up to Adrien to clear them from any misunderstandings.

“We were watching a movie.” he said stupidly. Gorilla rolled his eyes.

“The TV is off.”

Adrien and Marinette looked at the TV. It was definitely not on. Gorilla walked over to them, picked Marinette up and tossed her onto the couch.

“Hey!”

He ignored her. He scanned Adrien from head to toe, raising an eyebrow at his wrinkled shirt.

“That door doesn’t close,” Gorilla pointed at the bedroom door. “I’ll stay here until you pick a movie.”

The next few minutes were pretty awkward. Gorilla obviously thought Marinette’s uncharacteristic silence was from being caught in a somewhat compromising position, so he kept lecturing in the background about the safety of taking things slow, and not rushing into things, especially as kids.

“I know time seems short since the Makara and Akuma have started attacking the city, but trust me, there’s plenty of time left for you two,” he was saying. Adrien covered his face with one hand, clicking through movies and not seeing a single title. Gorilla continued: “I remember when I was young, I felt the exact same way--”

Marinette had enough by that point. She snatched the remote away from Adrien. She played the first movie she landed on, and turned to Gorilla:

“The movie’s on. Get out.”

“Please,” Adrien added helpfully, sinking into the couch a little bit. Gorilla stared at them for a moment, but then turned and left the room.

“I will be back with snacks.” It was the most threatening promise of snacks Adrien had ever heard. Adrien and Marinette watched the beginning scenes of the zombie movie in uncomfortable silence. Gorilla’s footsteps echoed down the hall, then disappeared. Adrien turned to Marinette.

“Oh my God,” he breathed, eyes wide. “I thought he’d never leave.” All the awkwardness between them melted away and they burst into giggles, gasping out half sentences between peals of laughter. Gorilla came back in a few minutes later, placing a tray of snacks between them.

“Two feet distance at all times. I would also prefer it if everyone stayed upright--either stand or sit up. The volume on the TV will not be above 26, are we understood?”

Adrien valiantly tried to keep a straight face and agreed to Gorilla’s rules. Marinette couldn’t hold it together, though, and started laughing again before Gorilla left the room. He just shook his head and left the room, making a show of keeping the door wide open. Adrien’s lips trembled, and then he was laughing alongside Marinette again.

It took them a while to calm down, but they eventually were able to watch the zombie movie Marinette had picked out, quickly followed up by a nature documentary Adrien had been wanting to watch for a few weeks.

Marinette moved the snack tray to the table in front of them and lay her head on Adrien’s shoulder, clearly bored out of her mind and seconds away from sleep.

Adrien loved spending time with Marinette. Even when they had difficult conversations, he knew they would go back to their natural state--a state of comfort. Somehow Marinette just understood him. When he brought up difficult topics, and then wished he could just take it back, to let things go back to normal, she let it happen. Sure, she would say her piece, first, and if she was irritated, she would let him know, but she would let that go. It was like she actually wanted things to stay good between the two of them.

The first time it had happened, Adrien had almost cried because he’d thought she would ditch him and never speak to him again. She’d yelled at him for a while, offended he would think so little of her. Then she’d grabbed his hand for the first time and they’d had ice-cream in the park together. Over the months it had gotten easier and easier, and now it was almost impossible to keep a secret from her; there was no consequence of doing so. He could say what was on his mind, and when it was time to move on from the subject, she would let it drop.

Adrien had known Chloe his entire life, but even she didn’t know how to read him as well as Marinette did. Chloe sometimes held onto things and wouldn’t let Adrien side-step the subject; if he brought it up, the conversation needed to be finished right then. Adrien just...wasn’t always ready for that. Marinette somehow understood that. She was a person who didn’t just have similar interests. She had a certain...something. He didn’t know what it was about her, but that special something was impossible to ignore for him. That something was what had caught his interest in the first place, and was the reason he was in such danger of falling dangerously in love with her, and soon.

* * *

At dinner, Gorilla sat at the head of the table. Adrien was to his right, and Marinette to his left. Adrien wasn’t too sure what Gorilla thought they would do if they just sat next to each other, but Gorilla obviously wasn’t going to chance it. So, Adrien and Marinette sat on opposite sides of the table.

“Mr. Agreste isn’t here?” Marinette asked. Gorilla shook his head.

“Mr. Agreste is in his office, worried about the upcoming summer launch, and preparing for the arrival of his nephew in a couple of months.”

“Why does he need to prepare so far in advance?” Marinette glanced at Adrien, but he was busy staring at Gorilla incredulously.

“Felix is coming?” Adrien slammed his silverware on the table. “When? Why did no one tell me?”

Gorilla shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Nathalie usually tells you these things. Sorry.”

“Nathalie’s parents died!” Adrien exclaimed. “Of course she didn’t call and let me know! What about you--how could you not tell me?”

“Who’s Felix?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “And why do you hate him so much?”

“Hate is not a strong enough word,” Adrien grit out. “He’s arrogant and self-centered and--”

“And better than you at everything,” Gorilla smiled slightly. He turned to Marinette. “They’ve been competing since they were born, and Adrien has never won a single contest.”

“Fallacy,” Adrien claimed, resting his chin on his folded hands and leaning against the table. “Felix is just the worst. He’s pompous, and he shows off to everyone, and he can’t take no for an answer, and he always takes my things and…”

Adrien went on. Marinette watched on in amusement, eating her friend chicken and leaving the slices of cheese and grapes for after she was finished. Adrien kept talking about how insufferable his cousin was, and she half-paid attention, sharing looks with Gorilla along the way. Adrien was never like this; she’d never seen him openly dislike someone before. She really couldn’t wait until he showed up. Seeing Adrien like this, so angry and frustrated, was really cute.

Marinette paused. Adrien was cute; she knew that. He liked to say weird things, and he made light of serious situations, and a lot of times when he was in a bad mood he reminded her a little of a kid--he would pout and mope around for a bit, but there wasn’t much he could really do. He was a goblin, but he only really showed it around her. It made her feel special to have her own goblin.

In some ways, he reminded her of Cat Noir. They were both really annoying and pissed her off. They both made her want to be a better person, someone more patient and nicer. Every time she saw either of them smile, it was like a bright light lit up the room, and she could breathe easy when she hadn’t even realized she was gasping. They were both dependable and kind and comfortable to be around. It was never about ego with either of them; they wouldn’t argue with her just to prove her wrong, and they were never embarrassed if she ended up being right.

Cat Noir was special. He was the one she started liking first, and he was always out there, risking his life alongside her to protect their city. But he was a superhero, like Adrien said. Was it worth it to keep liking him? And if it wasn’t, would it even be possible for her to just shut off her feelings for him?

“So, I’ll be counting on you, alright, Marinette?” Adrien frowned. Marinette wanted to push the edges of his lips up in a smile. She wasn’t one to usually stop herself from doing something she wanted to do. She got up and forced him to smile, laughing a little at the juxtaposition of his annoyed eyes but the happy curve of his lips. She let go of him and stepped away from the table.

“I’m here for you, always. You know that,” she said, excusing herself from the table. Adrien and Gorilla kept talking. Marinette wandered around, vaguely remembering the path to Gabriel’s office. He hadn’t been at dinner, and he should have. In case he forgot, she was willing to remind him.

She pushed the large doors open, taking in the dreary office again. It might have been fashionable at some point, but in her eyes, it looked a little like a set piece you might see in a vampire show.

“Mr. Agreste,” she stood in the middle of the room, hands by her side. She felt a little self-conscious in her ill-fitting jeans and plain black hoodie, but she wasn’t ashamed. She waited until he lifted his head and regarded her with weary eyes.

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he greeted cordially. “Are you lost?”

“No. I’m here to get you. You must have lost track of time. It’s dinner. Adrien, Gorilla, and I are in the dining room having food. I came to get you.”

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you are a guest in this house,” Mr. Agreste’s words were cold. Marinette narrowed her eyes. She noticed him shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and he averted his eyes. He played it off as though he was checking on some papers, but Marinette knew he was uncomfortable. She took a step closer, and Mr. Agreste looked at her. “You are here as Adrien’s friend, not as my nanny. I am perfectly capable of dining when I need to.”

“I’m not here to force-feed you,” Marinette raised an eyebrow. Was he purposefully playing dumb? Why? “I’m here because my friend misses his dad, and for whatever reason, I’m the only one who bothers to tell you.”

“I am busy,” Mr. Agrese said firmly. “I do not have--”

“What exactly do you have against eating with Adrien?” Marinette demanded, crossing the room and placing her palms on Mr. Agreste’s desk. “He’s your son and he misses you and wants to eat dinner with you. Why do I even need to come in here and drag you to him?”

“There are things in this world you do not understand, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” Mr. Agreste took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His hair stuck up, like he’d been running his hands through it.

“People need to stop telling me I don’t understand,” Marinette mumbled to herself, clenching her fists. Loudly, so Mr. Agreste could hear, she said, “I don’t need to understand everything, Mr. Agreste. All I need to know is that you’re hurting my best friend, and I’m here to stop you. Now, come on.”

“Ms. Dupain--”

Marinette was done with his excuses. “Get off your ass and come with me to the dining room!” He stared at her with wide eyes. She rounded the desk, hauled him to his feet, and marched with him out of his office. “I’ve cursed at you, now,” Marinette said. “You can stop calling me Ms. Dupain-Cheng and just say Marinette from now on.”

“Understood,” Mr. Agreste said. Marinette let go of his arm, walking calmly next to him. He glanced down at her outfit. “Another one of your creations?” he asked. Marinette shook her head.

“My house was destroyed in a Makara attack,” she said. “The only salvageable thing left was a couch my Nonna gave us. I’ve had to borrow clothes from friends until I can save up enough money to start making my own clothes again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mr. Agreste said quietly. “Truly, so sorry.” Something about his voice, the vulnerable quality of it, struck a chord with Marinette. She paused, and Mr. Agreste stood with her. He didn’t just sound like he was sorry she’d lost her home--he made it seem like he was the reason it had been destroyed.

“I don’t want to hear that kind of thing,” Marinette said. “I’m not sorry. We lost some stuff, and we moved, but so what? It’s not really anyone’s fault but Pisces.”

“And Hawkmoth,” Gabriel said bitterly. “If it weren’t for Hawkmoth, Adrien wouldn’t constantly be in danger, and you would still have a home, and all your wonderful designs.”

The bitterness and self-loathing in his voice...wasn’t normal. Marinette studied him with narrowed eyes. There was no way. There was simply no way, so she wouldn’t even consider it.

“Who cares?” Marinette said. “There’s nothing I can do if I keep thinking about the past. Things only get better if I actively make better and different choices from the past. Do you know what I’m saying?”

“Yes. I think I do, Marinette.”

As they entered the dining room, Gorilla and Adrien stared, completely shocked.

“Father?” Adrien asked. Marinette felt Gabriel stiffen next to her.

“Adrien,” he greeted stiffly. Marinette scowled at Adrien.

“Look, you hurt his feelings,” she said. Gabriel looked at her, surprised. “Stop punishing him by distancing yourself. Just call him dad, you alien.” Gabriel looked at her, appalled. He’d never heard anyone speak to his son in such an abrasive manner. Was she truly his friend?

Adrien blinked in surprise, then indignantly said, “I’m not--” He didn’t get to continue. His girlfriend glared at him and his mouth snapped shut with an audible _click_.

“Shut up!” Marinette barked. “Call him ‘dad’ right now, or I’ll get my mom!”

Gabriel had never met Marinette’s mother, but if Adrien’s reaction was anything to go by, she was terrifying. He pursed his lips and looked down at the plate in front of him.

“Sorry, Dad,” Adrien mumbled, reminding Gabriel of when he was five and moped a lot. Adrien sighed. “You surprised me. I didn’t know you were coming to dinner.”

“If you’d rather I leave--”

“That’s not what he meant, and you know it!” Marinette spun on him, her glacial eyes flashing. She shot a dirty look at Adrien. “Do you know how much effort it took to get him here? Don’t even joke and tell him to sit down.”

“Uh, Dad have a seat,” Adrien patted the spot next to him on the table.

“That’s better,” Marinette nodded in satisfaction, taking her seat at the table. Gorilla left, saying he was going to tell the kitchen to make another plate for Gabriel.

Gabriel, Adrien, and Marinette sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few moments. A few times, Gabriel opened his mouth to ask a question, but the disinterested look on Adrien’s face stopped him. The room was silent except for the occasional clink of spoons and forks on plates.

Marinette sighed and rubbed her forehead. Gabriel exchanged glances with Adrien. Gabriel was slightly worried; he didn’t want to get yelled at again. He hadn’t been yelled at and felt so stupid in years. Adrien just shook his head with a small smile on his mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked. Marinette shot him a look. She gestured at Gabriel,

“Tell him about your day,” she said. “He’s been trying to ask you something for five minutes, and it’s a little pathetic at this point. Just start the conversation and maybe he’ll gather the courage to ask you how school’s doing at some point.”

No one said a word. Marinette rolled her eyes and stood up. Adrien made to follow, but she shook her head sharply at him, and he sat.

“I’m going to check on Gorilla and your food.”

She left. Gabriel surprised himself by wishing she would come back.

“She’s nicer than she comes off,” Adrien defended, picking at his food a little. “She’s just annoyed right now.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I know,” he said. “I’ve met plenty of mean people, she’s rude and blunt, but she means well.”

“She somehow got you to come.” Adrien put his cheese to the side. “Why did you listen to her and not me?”

“She swore and pulled me out of my chair.”

Adrien looked at him, then, a soft smile on his face. He laughed a little. “Yup, that sounds like her.”

Gabriel tilted his head to the side. He and his son had drifted apart, sure, but not so far apart that he couldn’t tell when his son liked someone. He’d been there for Adrien’s first crush on a boy in fencing class when he was eight, and then the woman who tutored him in math when he was thirteen. Gabriel knew the look on Adrien’s face when he liked someone. So, there was a possibility of that girl being his son’s girlfriend?

Marinette entered with Gorilla, looking at both of them with hope in her eyes. This girl might be Adrien’s girlfriend?

She sat down across from the table and turned to Gabriel. “You forgot your glasses in your office, so I got them for you.” She set them in front of him, then went back to her food.

Well, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

* * *

Gabriel walked with Adrien to see Marinette off for the night. Gorilla was already in the pedicab, waiting to escort her home. She hugged Adrien good-bye, and Gabriel wondered if she didn’t see the star-struck look on his face, or saw it and simply decided to ignore it.

“We have a family game night every Wednesday,” Marinette said, turning to Gabriel. “I'll text Adrien my address, you're coming.” Then she waved good-bye and left.

“Have you told her you like her, yet?” Gabriel asked. Adrien shot him a weird look. “I’ll take that as a ‘no,’” Gabriel said, mostly to himself.

“Alright, I’m going to bed,” Adrien turned, carrying the platter of extra cheese he and Marinette didn’t eat with him.

“You’re going to eat all of that yourself?” Gabriel asked, gesturing to the cheese. Adrien looked at him, startled.

“No,” the tone of voice made it sound like he was an idiot. “This is for Plagg, my dog.”

“You have a dog?” Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “Since when?” He didn't remember seeing any dog, or even dog toys around the house. Perhaps he should have taken Nathalie's advice sooner. How on earth could he have been living with a dog and not even notice?

“Eight months, I think,” Adrien said, already walking down the hallway. “And don’t tell me dogs don’t eat cheese. This one does, he told me so.”

Gabriel wished Nathalie was here to tell him if Adrien was joking or not. He stepped out of his house, closing the door behind him. The nights still fell early. It was dark, and the stars glittered peacefully in the sky. Gabriel took in a deep breath of air. If Nathalie was here, she would be proud of him. She’d been telling him for months to spend time with Adrien, that he seemed to miss him.

Words from the note she’d left him before going on her two-week vacation burned themselves in his head.

 _Don’t punish yourself for your father’s mistakes. Just because he brought misery after your mother left doesn’t mean you’re the same. Please, don’t punish yourself for things which aren’t your fault. I don’t blame you. Adrien won’t, either._ _Time is fleeting. You don’t always have as much time with someone as you want. Don’t push your son away any longer. He needs you almost as much as you need him._

There was a reason Nathalie was his best friend. She understood him in ways he didn’t even understand himself. If only there was something he could do for her.

Gabriel sighed, shivering in the cool night. He turned and went back inside. He would make a pot of coffee and stay up as late as he needed to finish all his work, and he would happily do so. He still had hours of work left to complete, but the dinner with everyone had left him energized. Nathalie and Marinette had been right. He hadn’t just been pulling away from Adrien because of work. Work was always difficult, and always took time. He’d been punishing himself for allowing Emelie to get taken, for allowing Paris to be destroyed, for ruining thousands if not millions of peoples’ lives. In the process, he’d punished his son, too. Well, no more. Regardless of whether he deserved this, Adrien didn’t. It was time to act like a family again.

* * *

Adrien woke in the middle of the night to sirens blaring through the city. He sat up in bed. There was no heavy humidity, no stench of fish in the air. This was strange. Was it just an Akuma again?

“Claws out!”

Cat Noir vaulted through the city, trying to find the Akuma, or just the police. Someone had to know what was going on. Streams of confused people stumbled through the streets, and the cries of young babies echoed through the city. Ladybug swung by his right, frowning.

“I don’t like this,” she said in lieu of a greeting. “It’s too weird, and why so late?”

“Have you spoken to the police?” he asked.

“Nope, I don’t even know where to start looking.” Ladybug scowled in irritation. “Have you checked the Ladyblog?”

“No.”

She dropped from the sky, landing in the crowd of people. A few moments later she was next to him again, standing on a half-broken balcony. She didn’t say anything, just blinked tiredly as she scrolled through the phone in her hand.

“This person has the worst service,” she grumbled. “I should have checked that before taking it.”

Adrien scanned the horizon, the sirens dying down in the air. The crowd below slowed and murmured in confusion. Ladybug looked up at him, confused. He shook his head--he had no idea what was happening.

The sirens were silent, the air was still and crisp and clear. The Parisians all looked at each other, asking them one collective question: “what on earth was happening?”

A woman’s fatigued voice sounded through the city. “Ladybug and Cat Noir. An Akuma has been spotted in Lyon. They require your assistance. As of now, there has been no Makara reported. To the rest of you, sorry. Just go back to sleep and please don’t file any complaints. We had no other way of alerting them.”

Then the intercom crackled and went silent. Adrien looked to the left, but Ladybug was already swinging away, presumably in the direction of Lyon. Lyon was just outside of Paris, but Paris was huge. It would take so long to get there, who knows what the Akuma would be doing in the time it took to get there?

Cat Noir caught up to Ladybug, slightly annoyed and slightly surprised to have her point the phone camera in his face. He had cameras pointed at him all day long, and usually he didn’t mind, but wasn’t this the wrong time to be taking a selfie?

“There aren't any cameras set up in Lyon,” Ladybug said. “I thought we might as well give the Ladyblog some footage from tonight.”

“If that camera can even capture something when it’s so dark,” Cat Noir huffed. “Since when do you care so much about the Ladyblog?”

“Since I heard there was a fund set up through the Ladyblog for those affected by the attacks,” Ladybug countered. “Now be nice and smile for the camera or something.”

With practiced ease, Adrien shot a charming smile at the phone. He even winked. The rest of the way to Lyon was silent. Ladybug stopped the recording, saying she’d start again later. Cat Noir couldn’t understand why she was willingly handicapping herself just to get a stupid recording of the fight. Now he would be the only one of them who could use two hands on the Akuma.

“There they are!” The police pointed and shouted, but Adrien paid them no attention. Ladybug landed next to them, probably to give them a heads up about how the battle would go, and how to conduct themselves throughout it, how they could help. Adrien extended his baton and held himself at the top of it, scanning the area for the Akuma. He didn’t need to look for too long.

This one must have been powerful. Sometimes the Akuma’s powers were overshadowed by the danger of the Makara, but other times, they had powers like this one, which just couldn’t be ignored.

A cylinder of wind rose from the ground, a few blocks away from where the police officers were. Adrien slid down his staff, shrinking it at the same time. Ladybug jumped up to join him when it was a decent height.

“I can’t use my yo-yo when the wind is so fast,” she said, cheeks slightly red. “It's either this or running.”

Adrien didn’t say anything, just pushed off the ground. The officers behind him cried out in dismay.

“You hit them with debris,” Ladybug noted passively. “Parisian cops wouldn’t have minded. These guys are pansies.”

Adrien broke his baton in two, finally noticing that Ladybug had a phone in one of her hands.

“Are you serious?” he demanded, getting them closer to the perpetrator. “Why on earth would you--”

“Shut up, we’re live.” Ladybug then pushed off the pole, shooting towards the Akuma. Maybe she’d seen something Adrien didn’t, because it looked like she wasn’t really aiming at anything and just pushed off to not be on the baton anymore.

She aimed straight at the tornado, outlined by a prominent red glow. Adrien cursed as he caught himself thinking that Ladybug should make sure the camera caught the cool glow. He followed closely behind her.

Ladybug’s red glow somehow fought off the winds. The tornado didn’t affect her in the slightest; not a single red hair on her head was out of place. Adrien didn’t have the same luxury. The closer he got to the cyclone, the more he had to slow down. His long hair swatted his face, getting in his eyes and mouth. Since he always wore a generous amount of vaseline on his lips at night, the strands stuck to his mouth and it felt impossible to get the hair away. The wind stung his eyes, it was dark, and he was tired. Why on earth would Ladybug choose to make this go live?

There was no way he would ever tell anyone he was Cat Noir now; he would just die if anyone saw this stream and knew that it was him under the costume.

“Out of my way!” A raspy voice screeched over the howling winds. There was a hiss behind the words, and Adrien knew that was the Akuma. “Out of my way!” It wailed louder, and Adrien finally saw it’s silhouette inside of the tornado. He had no idea how Ladybug had seen it there in the first place, but he didn’t particularly care.

Adrien pushed himself to the right, landing on top of a pile of rubble. It had once been a house. Now it was Adrien’s tower. He pulled the two halves of his baton into a bow, drawing back the string and creating an arrow out of pure magic. His breath puffed in front of him as the temperature lowered around him. He really hated this side-effect.

He loosed the arrow, but the Akuma seemed to know it was coming. It dodged a kick Ladybug had aimed at its head, and the arrow hit her in the shoulder. He was too far to see if she was hurt or not. He pulled the string of his bow back again, but Plagg’s voice sounded in his head:

_“You’re going to try the exact same thing again? That’s a little stupid. I guess I didn’t choose you for your brains, though.”_

Adrien lowered the bow. He’d been too nice to Plagg as of late. This is the kind of thanks he got for not forcing twinkies down his throat anymore? Well, there were still about four-hundred boxes of them sitting in his basement, all with Plagg’s name on them.

Adrien leaped down, fighting against the winds. He wished he had a hair tie of some sort to keep his hair out of his face. This was so irritating. He broke his bow apart and planted the ends of his batons into the ground like canes. The winds were so loud it was almost impossible to hear himself think. It was getting hard to breathe, and his magic had affected him so much he couldn’t feel his feet.

A metallic smell permeated the air, and the small hairs on the back of Adrien’s neck stood on end.

 _“Jump!”_ Plagg yelled desperately. Adrien didn’t think, just jumped to the side. A brittle crack sounded, and a streak of white lightning crashed to the exact spot he’d been standing three seconds ago.

“Lightning?” Adrien knew no one could hear him, but sometimes it was nice to just yell the frustration away. “It shoots lightning now?”

Ladybug ran at him, pulling him forward with him. The phone was still in her hand. 

“I can’t get close to him,” she yelled over the noise, her hair still annoyingly perfect. Adrien glared at it. Her hair looked like a red helmet, and his...he’d rather not even imagine. “It’s like it can always sense where I am!”

“I can’t shoot it with an arrow, either,” Adrien yelled. “Last time the Akuma dodged and it ended up hitting you!”

“So try again!” Ladybug looked at him impatiently.

“My kwami made fun of me,” Adrien scowled. “And he’s a real idiot, so getting called out by him doesn’t feel good at all.”

 _“Hey!”_ Plagg protested. _“I’m not an idiot.”_

“Quit being a baby! Our best bet is to get it without it noticing, somehow.” Ladybug kept the phone in front of her face, but Adrien just knew it was aimed at him. The thought of people seeing him like this--dark circles, unkempt hair, chapped lips--mortified the model in him. He wished he could just turn invisible.

Wait. He totally could turn invisible.

“Make sure you get my good side for this,” Adrien said, preparing himself for a blast of sudden cold. “Light Paw!” Nothing felt different, and Ladybug was still staring at him like she was waiting for something to happen. Adrien knew better, though. She’d never see the effects of this power. He ran along the edge of the tornado, double-checking that the Akuma couldn’t see him, couldn’t sense him.

The Akuma just strolled down the street, the tornado moving with him, leaving a path of destruction behind him. It looked from side to side, searching for something, like all the Akuma seemed to be doing lately. It didn’t notice him at all.

Cat Noir ran at the tornado, forcing himself through hundred-mile winds, shoving the hair out of his eyes. This was so annoying. No wonder Marinette always kept her hair tied up.

He pulled his batons into a bow, drawing the string back to create an arrow out of magic. The temperature around him seemed to drop again, and Adrien clenched his teeth together in an attempt to keep from shivering. He knew the Akuma couldn’t see or sense him, but could he hear him? Adrien didn’t want to check.

He loosed his arrow. The Akuma screeched as it hit him in the back. The winds died down and the Akuma fell to the ground.

“Cataclysm,” Adrien murmured. Everything dimmed, and blurred. The one clear and colored object Adrien could see was the watch on the Akuma’s wrist. It was glaring and hissing at him, trying to move; the magic from his arrow wouldn’t allow him to, though. It had stunned him, and now Adrien was going to get rid of him. All on live video. Maybe Ladybug had the right idea, filming the whole thing.

Adrien destroyed the watch, and a white butterfly fluttered into the sky, fighting against the residual wind from the tornado. Ladybug’s yo-yo swung over it, purifying it. Adrien felt her stand next to him. He shivered in relief as he used her to warm up. She held the phone up, capturing the damage of the neighborhood.

It must have been a really nice neighborhood at some point. Every house on the street was at least two stories high. The wind had destroyed everything, and now there was a steaming hole in the middle of the street where the lightning had hit. Adrien grabbed Ladybug and extended his baton, lifting them up, above the houses, higher than any decorative trees on the sidewalk. Directly below them, the neighborhood was completely wrecked. The houses fell to the side, furniture and possessions scattered across the street, and there was mild flooding from broken pipes. Three streets in any direction, Adrien could see perfectly picturesque, untouched homes. He wasn’t sure where the owners of the destroyed houses were, or what they were going to do. If the Akuma had touched down one kilometer to the left, the people wouldn’t have had to suffer such sudden devastation. What would they do?

“I’m sorry, Lyon,” Ladybug whispered into the livestream, finally stopping the recording and closing the phone. Adrien studied his partner’s face. She never looked happy. She was always angry or irritated or tired. He’d never seen her look so sad, though.

“Are you ok?”

“It’s late.” she said, still studying the ruined neighborhood. “They won’t have a home to go back to, or beds to sleep in tonight.”

“That’s not our fault.”

“So you don’t feel guilty when you see this?”

“That's not what I said.” There was something about having the power to defeat super-powered villains which made it impossible to view yourself as completely innocent. If only he'd been stronger, or smarter, or faster--would these people still have a home? He wasn't creating the monsters, but he was one of two people who could defeat them, and clearly he wasn't doing it well enough. People depended on him, and he was letting them down. Continuously. One glance at the look on Ladybug's face made it clear that she felt the exact same way. No one else would be able to understand. Suddenly, Adrien was more appreciative than ever that he had a partner to share this burden with. Adrien couldn't imagine how she'd felt the two months she'd been fighting the Makara and Akuma alone, with no Miraculous partner, and no support from the police. 

Adrien lowered them to the ground, where Ladybug swayed on her feet. He’d never seen her look so tired, so defeated. It became easy to imagine her as a real person when she let her walls drop, when she allowed herself to show her genuine feelings. 

“So, who are you outside of the mask?” he asked. Ladybug snorted, shooting him a small smirk.

“Like I would ever let anyone know that. If anyone who knows me saw me wearing this, I’d never live it down.” She threw her yo-yo into the air and swung away. At least Adrien had tried. And it wasn’t like he didn’t understand her desire to keep her real identity a secret. He would rather die than tell anyone he ran around in a skin-tight leather suit and cat ears.

(Alya Cesaire was able to save the livestream and post as a video on the Ladyblog. The number of views skyrocketed, and the blog’s server crashed for a few hours before she was able to fix it. No one had ever gotten such close-up, raw footage of an Akuma attack before. Now, the sole place to find it was on the Ladyblog.)

(Alya would continue talking about the night of the Lyon attack for weeks. Though Chloe would act annoyed and disinterested, she would watch the livestream at least once a day for the following two weeks.)

* * *

_Peizhi kneeled in front of the shrine, hands clasped together, head bowed. It was no small honor to be a keeper of the shrine of the Miraculous, and he took his responsibility seriously. Along with the responsibility of keeping the magical creatures safe came the privilege of being able to pray to them._

_He bowed his head lower, almost touching the ground. His eyes squeezed shut, and he tried harder to capture one of the kwami’s attention. There was no guidance in prayer, but Peizhi imagined the harder he remembered his family, the more likely one of the kwamis would notice his grief, his pain, and the more likely one of them would be willing to help him. He knew that all of them had powers, but not exactly what the powers were. The powers associated with each kwami was a closely kept secret._

_Apparently not close enough._

_One of the chief priests had cajoled the information out of the Head of the Temple. With the information, the priest had stolen the fox and the skunk. With the pair to himself, he had taken the opportunity to terrorize the villages surrounding the temple on his way to the palace. That man now sat as the Emperor of China, and in his shadow were the corpses of Peizhi’s family._

_Peizhi closed his eyes, remembering his wife. Ai had been sweet, and kind, and the only person in the world with the patience to deal with both her husband and his nephew. She had been the first to go, killed by one of the Fox’s illusions. He hadn’t seen exactly what had happened, but he’d seen her mangled corpse, thrown over the lowest hanging branch of the tree they’d gotten married beneath._

_Peizhi’s breathing stuttered as he recalled his nephew, Wei. Though he was technically his brother’s child, Peizhi had been raising Wei since he was a baby. He’d watched as he learned to walk, write, and laugh. He’d also been there as the powers of the Skunk had torn his mind to shreds, leaving him completely vulnerable to the Fox’s illusion._

_Both of Peizhi’s parents had been killed in the fires set by the villagers in an attempt to drive away the illusions. Of the entire village, only Peizhi had survived. He’d traveled for days, searching for the shrine of the Miraculous, and he’d stayed. Every day he guarded the jewels carrying the creatures, and every night he prayed to them. He hadn’t gotten one answer in the months he’d been at the shrine, but there was always a chance he would gain one of their attention._

_A small sound momentarily distracted him from his prayers. His eyes ached as he opened them, and a few stray tears fell down his cheeks. He wiped them away, staring at the turtle in front of him with hope._

_The turtle was small, barely the size of his palm. It’s deep green eyes stared at him, too intelligently to be a mere animal._

_“Master Kwami!” Fu Peizhi kowtowed, his forehead firmly on the floor. “Please, please help this humble servant. I come to you with the highest respect. My family was killed...can you bring them back?”_

_There was a silence, and Peizhi’s body was covered with a layer of clammy sweat. He didn’t dare look up for fear of angering the god. It physically hurt to not check and see if it was still there._

_“You have a very strange aura,” it said. “Look up, tell me your name.”_

_Peizhi didn’t hesitate to obey the kwami’s orders. “I am Fu Peizhi, third son of Fu Chao,” he said hurriedly. “I am honored that you find my aura agreeable.”_

_“Did you know, every person on the planet has a soul. Unlike what humans like to think, not every soul is completely unique. There are patterns to them, and the patterns repeat. For a kwami and a human to be partners, the magical pattern of the kwami and the soul pattern of the human must be compatible.”_

_The kwami spoke slowly, as though it was in no hurry. Peizhi drank in every word, honored that the god would even deign to explain such heavenly concepts to a humble man such as himself._

_“The lower kwamis are compatible with more humans than those higher above them. I am in the center of the box, partnered with the Rabbit,” the turtle continued. “I do not match well with most humans. The reason there is no Guardian of the Miraculous at present is because I rejected the last human I was partnered with, after many years of misery being paired with her.”_

_“You are wise and all-knowing,” Peizhi said, unsure of how else to respond._

_“I have never seen a human with a soul pattern as unique as yours,” the turtle said, tilting its head to the side curiously. “I would have you partner with me. Do you consent?”_

_“Consent?” Peizhi blinked. “Why?” He had never heard of a god asking a mortal for permission to do anything before. The turtle kwami did not understand._

_“As the holder of the Turtle Miraculous, you would be in charge of all the Earth Kwamis. You would have unimaginable power, and eternal life. There’s not much more a human could wish for.”_

_“What about my family?” Peizhi couldn’t stop the words from escaping his mouth. The turtle gave him a strange look, and Peizhi ducked his head in supplication. “Pardon me for my insolence. But please...can you bring my family back?”_

_There was a pause._

_“The power of the turtle is rooted in Constancy. Only the holder of the Miraculous can change time.”_

_“So, if I...consent to be your partner, I can bring my family back?”_

_“The power of the turtle can turn back the age of the world. Only as a partner would you be able to access this power.”_

_The turtle’s eyes were cold and small, but Peizhi was desperate. He’d been praying for months to get the attention of a kwami, and now one was willing to help him bring back his family. And so, with the half-lies the turtle had fed him, Peizhi locked himself in a contract where only one party truly gained anything. He bowed his head to the creature he trusted as a god uttered the words which would bring unending torment to his unending life._

_“I consent.”_

_(And in return for endless power and endless life, Peizhi gave the turtle a name. It had started as Wei’s, but eventually turned into Wayzz as remembering Wei became more and more painful. With the name, the kwami was bound to serve the Guardian of the Miraculous, just as any other Earth kwami was. In return for saving countless lives from the tyranny of the Pair Holder, the former chief priest of the Miraculous shrine, Peizhi was given countless days of despair._

_(His freedom as a mortal man was traded for an endless life without love or hope. He lived every day next to the being which had promised to bring his family back, but had instead used him and trapped him in a contract only Wayzz was able to terminate. He was unable to move on or love again, for he lived longer than any human ever could. Every forty years or so he was forced to pack up and move to a new home. In the unending days of the following centuries, there was no time for Peizhi to heal or move on, and there was no chance he could die and meet his family in the afterlife. In unending life, Peizhi had been cursed to become a zombie._

_(Fu Peizhi never forgave his kwami, and had over eight hundred years to let him know.)_

Peizhi woke momentarily from a noise in his apartment. His front door opened, and Wei's voice called out for him. Oh, well if it was just him, Peizhi could sleep in peace. He took one sip of the almost empty can of beer by his couch, closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep. His past continued to torment his dreams.

* * *

Adrien knocked on the door of an unfortunately familiar apartment. Justin the pizza boy opened the door. He didn’t even look surprised anymore.

“Oh, hey, Cat Noir.” He stepped out of the way and let him in. Adrien de-transformed, and Plagg fell on the ground, licking his paws. “I think Mr. Fu was having a nightmare. He--”

“He’s awake,” a grouchy voice sounded from the couch on the right. Adrien’s skin crawled as he heard Fu peel himself off the fabric. His head poked over the back of the sofa. When he saw Justin, he perked up. Justin sighed by Adrien’s side. “Justin!” Fu rounded the couch, and Adrien did his best not to judge the man for wearing only a pair of tube socks and baggy t-shirt. “I missed you so much!”

“Peizhi, you still owe me from this week,” Justin said tiredly. “It’s almost one hundred and fifty euros worth of pizza. This is getting to be a problem.”

“I’ve never heard of a nephew treating his uncle so poorly,” Fu sniffed. “It was bad enough when you decided to Westernize your name. Now this? Does family mean nothing to you?”

“I’m not your nephew, Peizhi,” Justin said gently. He turned to Adrien. “He keeps saying I’m his nephew. It’s weird because as far as I know, he doesn’t have any family, especially not a nephew.”

“I do!” Fu insisted. “You can try and hide it all you want, but I raised you! I’d know those eyes anywhere! And look, you have that scar on your cheek from when you tried to shave, like me, and cut yourself!”

“I fell down a slide when I was nine,” Justin said apologetically.

“I’m here, too,” Adrien muttered, feeling very strange in the moment. As much as he didn’t really want to engage Fu, he figured Justin deserved a break from the heartbroken look on Fu’s face. Adrien waved, bringing Fu’s attention his way. “I asked Ladybug her civilian identity, she didn’t want to tell me. Can I give up now?”

Fu blinked. “Why on earth would you ask?”

“Because you told me to figure out who she was,” Adrien reminded him patiently, hiding his irritation behind years of practiced politeness. If there was one thing he could thank Mother for, it was her obsession with giving off a good impression on others.

Fu made a face. “What kind of idiot would just ask her who she is?”

“Well, what kind of Fu-l would give someone a Miraculous and not even bother to ask her name?” Adrien countered. Mother hadn’t been around for a while, and he’d been spending a lot of time with Marinette. He’d just have to try and be extra polite from now on. He nudged Justin. “Get it? Fool, Fu-l?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Ok, now he would be polite.

“You look like shit,” Fu studied his face.

“It’s late, I’m cold, and I don’t really want to be here,” Adrien reported. “Plagg said it’d be worth a shot to come say we had no luck. Can we stop trying to figure out who she is now?”

 _“I’m sorry, but you cannot,”_ Wayzz appeared on the floor by the kitchen. Fu groaned loudly, waddling past him into the kitchen. He called behind him.

“He won’t shut up for a while now. Want a drink?”

_“Please, this is serious. The Ladybug cannot get into the wrong hands. If we do not know her identity, how can we protect her?”_

Adrien weighed his options. On one hand, he didn’t want to be in the apartment, he had school tomorrow, and he was tired. On the other hand, alcohol always warmed him up.

“Yeah, sure.”

_“Please listen to me!”_

_“Wayzz,”_ Plagg sat next to him. _"Y_ _ou’re annoying them. Come on, let’s go on a walk outside. It’ll be fun.”_

 _“Ok.”_ Wayzz sullenly followed Plagg out the door, phasing straight through the wood. Adrien stared. Then he shook his head and forced himself to get over it. That was not the weirdest thing he’d ever seen, and it would be stupid to think too much on it.

“We have tequila, beer, and vodka,” Fu gestured to the bottles and cans filling his cabinets. He grabbed a can of beer and sat on one of the half-broken chairs in the kitchen. “Take your pick.”

Justin pulled out a couple of glasses, pouring himself and Adrien a little tequila. “How do you afford all this?” he asked. Fu ignored him.

“Any limes?” Adrien asked. Fu shook his head. Well. Alright, he’d just have to make do, wouldn’t he? Besides, he wouldn’t be drinking a lot. One shot--two at the most--and he’d be on his way home.

“Salut,” he raised his glass to Fu and Justin and downed the alcohol, pulling a face at the taste. “It never gets better.”

“Oh, it certainly does,” Fu countered, gesturing to Justin to pour him some more. “You’ll see.”

* * *

Marinette had never been the type of person who got a lot of sleep. Since she was young, she’d always been so excited to be awake, to do things, that she’d just never had the time to waste on stupid things like sleep.

As she’d gotten older, she’d stopped thinking of sleep as stupid, but it had become a luxury by that point. She’d filled her life with so many things that sleep was often the bottom of her priority list. That was why, tonight, she was awake at 2 in the morning. Normally, if there had been an Akuma attack, school would have been cancelled the next day. This was not a normal situation. The Akuma had attacked Lyon, so Paris had been unaffected. Long story short: school was tomorrow, and Marinette hadn’t completed her homework yet.

She rubbed her eyes, cracking her back as she leaned back in her chair. The Akuma fight hadn’t been too bad, and she’d gotten Alya exclusive footage for her Ladyblog. Now she wouldn’t have to see Alya mope around, upset about the lack of content to post after an attack. And, it had gotten her up-close footage of Cat Noir during an attack.

He’d been grumpy and obviously tired, but it was still nice to see him. Under all the crabbiness of being woken up so early, he’d still been the considerate, reliable partner he always was. And now he could turn invisible? She’d rewatched the footage. While she’d been able to see him perfectly fine in the moment, he was nowhere to be seen on screen. No wonder the Akuma didn’t notice as Cat Noir had just strolled up to him and shot him with an arrow.

Marinette pushed thoughts of Akuma, Cat Noir, and Miraculouses away. She had history homework to complete, and no Adrien to cheat off of. She pulled her reading glasses back on and started the page again, hoping to get some more information from it the third time through.

The words swam in front of her eyes, and her mind wandered back to the neighborhood she and Cat Noir had fought in early. Those people had been so utterly unprepared for any of what happened to them. Lately, it had been getting harder and harder to fight and see the consequences. She was doing her best, and she knew Cat Noir was, too, but it was never enough. Even if the Makara and Akuma were destroyed, they left behind a host of problems--destruction, lost homes, lost possessions and memories.

Her own family had lost all their photos and paintings that Marinette had made as a child. She’d made that choice; she’d taken all that away from her mom. Even though no one had said it, Marinette knew losing all her baby pictures had affected Sabine. Since she’d lost her second child, Marinette’s little brother, she’d been almost obsessive about taking pictures of Marinette as a kid. And now all that was gone.

Her phone rang. Desperate for a distraction, Marinette pounced on her phone and accepted the call.

“Hello?” Her voice cracked from hours of non-use. She cleared her throat and tried again: “Hello?”

“Marinette,” Adrien drawled on the other end. Marinette rolled her eyes. He was so weird. She switched her cellphone to her other ear, getting comfortable in her chair.

“What’s up?”

“Do you just like cats?” he asked. Something giggled behind him, but he shushed him. Marinette’s brows furrowed.

“Um, yeah, I like cats. Why?”

“Rawr,” he said. She didn’t respond. He seemed to think she didn’t hear her. “Rawr!” He said louder. Marinette blinked.

“What the heck is wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me!” he said sternly. “I’m a cat. Love me! Meow.” he giggled, and a guy in the background laughed with him.

“Oh my god,” Marinette started to grin. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m buzzed,” Adrien corrected. “Models don’t get _drunk_.”

“I thought you were a cat,” Marinette laughed a little. That was the good thing about Adrien. No matter how stressed or sad she was, a few minutes of talking with him always made her feel better. “Cats get drunk.”

“They do?” Adrien seemed shocked. “Then yeah, I’m drunk. Do you like me? Look, I can even bite like a cat!”

In the background, Marinette heard someone exclaim in surprise, and a few things crashed to the ground. 

“Adrien?” Marinette asked. “Are you alright?”

There was a moment of silence, then Adrien’s warm voice sounded through the phone again. “Did you see that? Only a drunk cat would do that. You love me now, right?” He sounded so smug, it was adorable. Marinette smiled into the phone.

An old man yelled in the background, and a few more voices sounded, arguing about someone murdering his family. All amusement left Marinette’s body. Adrien was a big boy, he could go where he wanted. Sometimes hanging out at a bar at 2 in the morning was the best way to de-stress. But if he was hanging around people that violent, he was in danger, and there was no way he would be able to fight his way out of there.

“Where are you?”

“Why do you want to know?” Adrien challenged. “I’m a cat. I don’t have to tell you anything. Rawr.”

“Adrien, I’m worried about you.”

 _“Rawr!”_ he said more aggressively. He was so annoying, and she’s be sure to never let him live this down.

“I only like cats that tell me where they are.”

Adrien immediately rattled off some obscure address. He stumbled through it a few times, and Marinette made him repeat it a few times to make sure he got it right. Marinette scribbled it down on a piece of paper and told him to hang on--she’d be there for him as soon as possible.

“She’s coming!” he yelled to everyone in the room with him. “The 'rawr' worked!” Marinette heard a few voices cheering behind him, the sound of clinking glasses, and something falling on the ground. It must have been a real cat, because Marinette heard an angry hiss. Poor kitty.

Adrien and his friend, Justin apparently, kept talking about nonsense, every once in a while bringing Marinette into the conversation. Marinette never really liked talking to drunk people unless she was drunk herself. She kept her answers short, a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when they asked her something.

“I’m at the address you gave me,” she said, staring at the apartment building in distaste. If Adrien was this drunk, and she was standing outside of this apartment complex, she had an idea of which apartment he would come out of. The only question was, why would he go to see Fu Peizhi? How could they possibly know each other?

“Alright, I’m leaving!” Adrien wished everyone in the apartment a cheerful good-bye. “Come on, Plagg, there’s Twinkies waiting for you at home!”

Marinette did not want to know what that meant.

Adrien stumbled out of an apartment on the second level of the apartment complex. He saw her and smiled, waving madly. He was so cute, even piss drunk. She waved back, climbing up the stairs to help him down safely.

“Rawr,” he greeted. She didn’t say anything, so he leaned down to her ear. _“Rawr.”_ His breath smelled like alcohol, gross. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, you’re a big cat,” she grumbled. “Come on, let’s get you...somewhere that’s not here.”

Marinette practically carried all of Adrien’s weight down the stairs. He wasn’t too heavy, but he was just so long it was impossible to carry him. She eventually just draped him over her back and let half of him drag on the ground behind them. She dragged him along the bumpy ground, Adrien trying to help her by moving his legs every once in a while. It was sweet of him to try helping, but it just got in her way, so she had to tell him to stop after about a block and a half of continuously tripping over his giant kangaroo feet.

“Marinette,” Adrien mumbled in her ear. She bit down a giggle. Her ears were so ticklish, she hated this. If only he was sober enough to walk. She could put her arm around him and guide him, and he wouldn’t tickle her every time he talked. “I want an answer.”

“I didn’t hear a question,” she grunted as she almost tripped over an uneven slab of sidewalk. This would have been so much easier if she had night vision or something.

“Do you love me now that I’m a cat?” He sounded impatient.

“What does being a cat have to do with anything?” Marinette asked, pushing his head away from her ear. She could practically _feel_ him pouting on her shoulder.

“You like Cat Noir. He’s a cat. I really like you. Maybe if I became a bigger cat, you would like me more than you like him.”

Marinette kept walking, mind blank. Adrien had been telling her for months that he liked her, and he’d been flirting with her for just as long. He was a great person. He was nice and funny and easy to relate to. He said things and it just clicked with her, and it felt like he understood her, even when she couldn’t totally understand herself.

Adrien slumped into her back, and she knew he’d passed out. He could be such a pain. She pulled his arms over her shoulders and continued to pull him through the streets, finally getting a little closer to her new home.

”Meow,” Adrien mumbled in his sleep, burying his head in Marinette’s neck.

Cat Noir was sweet and thoughtful and a bit of a jerk when he was tired or overwhelmed, but he trusted her. He’d come to her as Marinette and knew about her family’s gang and her role in it. He’d been there for her since the beginning, he’d been risking his life along with her and always asked if she was ok. As stupid as it sounded, even to herself, it really made a difference. She’d always been a capable person, and people rarely asked if she was ok. Cat Noir did it regularly, asking if she was alright, doing anything she needed him to do during battles.

But, as Adrien had pointed out, he was a superhero. She didn’t really know much about him, least of all whether or not he could continue to see her after they defeated Pisces and Hawkmoth.

Adrien snored on her shoulder and she pulled him up further.

Why was she here, pining after Cat Noir, when she had someone here who had been pining after her for almost half a year? Sure, he was no Cat Noir, but Adrien always had her back, and he was so easy and comfortable to talk to. As much as she liked Cat Noir, she was getting a bit fed up with herself getting so flustered around him.

She knew she could really like Adrien, if she let go of Cat Noir. They had so much in common, and they balanced each other out perfectly. How was it possible that she’d gone seventeen years without finding anyone, and now two perfect guys showed up out of nowhere, at practically the same time?

Marinette scowled to herself. Why was everything so complicated? Couldn’t one thing be easy for her?

She wanted to be a fashion designer, but she’d ruined her chances with Aubrey Clarence and Gabriel Agreste. Sure, Mr. Agreste was still being nice to her, but that was likely because he loved Adrien, not anything having to do with her. Plus, now she had no designs and no portfolio. Everything had been lost. She had to start from square one.

She wanted her parents to be happy. She’d gotten the family bakery and home destroyed. It hadn’t totally been her fault, but she’d chosen not to save their home, their memories, their means of livelihood. The gang had been suffering from the sudden loss of money, and it was all her fault.

She wanted to graduate high school, but with the extra homework that came from the unpredictable school schedule, and the added hours she had to work in her family’s catering business, that, too, seemed impossible.

Was it really too much to ask the universe for one simple thing in her life? It would help a lot if she just had one guy she liked: one kind, thoughtful, funny, and slightly goblin-ish guy.

Adrien snored again and Marinette swore he was doing it on purpose. He’d taken naps at her house before, and he’d never snored then. This was just some weird punishment for some reason.

Marinette sighed. There was no use complaining about it now. She’d complain later, when he was conscious and ready to be chewed out.


	12. The Mission III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathalie speaks to Pisces and grieves. Adrien gets a clue about Ladybug. Marinette and Chloe have a sisterly evening together. A few other couples get time to develop.

Nathalie’s phone buzzed. She glared at the name on the screen. Pisces was the absolute last person on earth she wanted to talk to today. She’d just buried her Papa and Dad not two hours ago. She was now curled alone on her couch, covered in a purple blanket and clutching a cup of calming chamomile tea. Chamomile tea had always been Dad’s favorite. Papa usually drank coffee, but Nathalie hated coffee.

The phone rang again. Nathalie swallowed and blinked, wincing at how her swollen eyes ached.

“Hello?” she clipped out.

“Nothing’s working!” Pisces whispered frantically on the other end of the line. “How can this not be working? Emelie is supposed to be madly in love with Gabriel--she was supposed to do anything to go back to him! How is this not working?”

“You miscalculated,” Nathalie said bitterly. She was in no mood to placate the woman who had killed her parents. “Emelie Agreste cares for nothing more than money. As long as she’s promised fortune and fame when she’s freed--and make no mistake, she will be freed one day--she won’t budge. She will not bow to your pathetic threats.”

“I just wanted what was rightfully mine!” Pisces growled through the phone. “You yourself said Gabriel Agreste is lying filth--he deserves everything coming his way. What happened to you?”

Nathalie shut her mouth with an audible click. She would not divulge anything to Pisces. That woman deserved to know nothing of her parents. She didn’t get to know about Dad, who had always been willing to help Nathalie, even when he was sick. She didn’t get to hear about Papa and his dreams of going back to school to become a veterinarian. Nathalie would never forgive herself if she spoke about her fathers to the woman who had killed them.

“There is still time,” Nathalie said icily. “But we’ll need to try harder. The only way to get Emelie to change the past is if she thinks her future is in jeopardy. I’ve convinced her Gabriel is saving Paris for her. If we continue to barrage Paris with attack after attack, Gabriel will get overwhelmed. He’ll give up. Emelie will think he’s given up on her, and that’s when we can get her to comply.

“But then Paris will be destroyed,” Pisces said softly. “I have family there, I--”

“So did I,” Nathalie interrupted sharply. “You started this. You must finish it.”

Nathalie ended the call and threw her phone across the room, anger and frustration swirling and swelling inside of her like a poisonous balloon. Her parents had died for this. She couldn’t stop now. How could she? They would have died for nothing.

(Try as she might to deceive herself, deep down she knew they’d already died for nothing)

* * *

Ivan followed Rose to Juleka’s house. He felt a little strange going there without Juleka, but Rose had assured him it would be fine. Ivan wasn’t one to not trust someone, so he followed close behind.

Everyone in the class knew Juleka lived on a boat. It wasn’t very big, and it wasn’t very expensive, but it was always well-kept and functional. Ivan wasn’t too sure why they were going there, or why Rose was so excited, but he was willing to go if it made her happy, especially since it didn’t bother him. Ivan wasn’t very popular in class. Other than a few hours a day for homework, he never had plans and was always free to go somewhere.

Rose was almost skipping in excitement and pulled Ivan along behind her. Ivan didn’t say anything as they passed Juleka’s boat and continued down the dock, towards a covered boat shed.

“Ok,” Rose stopped in front of the boat garage and beamed at him. “Ready?”

“Sure,” Ivan wasn’t really sure what he was ready for, but if it meant doing something with Rose, he was ready. Spending time with her was easy. She would talk and he would listen, and if he wanted to talk, she would listen and there was no danger of her crying. It was pretty great.

Rose opened the door and flicked on a light inside. Ivan followed her, ducking his head to get through the door. He blinked. Usually there was a 38 cm border of wood around the shed with an empty pool of water in the middle for the boat to rest. This boat shed had boards of wood resting across that water, so it was like one big garage.

“Do you like it?” Rose jumped excitedly. In the corner, Juleka’s brother, Luka looked up at them. His guitar was in his lap and he was absently strumming and humming a little tune.

“Hey,” he greeted. “Did the spirit of the music blow you this way?”

“Yup!” Rose said. “Ivan can’t play music at his apartment, so I brought him here. It’ll get kind of loud. Do you mind?”

“I can’t argue with the inspiration of music,” Luka shrugged. “Just don’t use those plugs over there, they got soaked in seawater so if we try to use them, all the lights go out.”

“No problem,” Rose led Ivan to a drum set along the farside of the shed. “Here, you can play and sing and scream to your heart’s content.”

“Won’t people hear?” Ivan looked at her nervously. Luka spoke up from the corner.

“That’s the point of music, my man. If no one hears, is it even an art?”

“But people don’t really like my music.”

“Well, some people don’t like Picasso’s paintings,” Rose pointed out, pulling Ivan down to sit on the seat behind the drum sets. “It’s still art. People still love it.”

Luka nodded encouragingly from the corner and strummed his guitar again, closing his eyes and _completely feeling_ his music. That was the kind of self-assurance Ivan strived to have one day. He held the drumsticks in his hands, took a deep breath, and lightly started playing the tune which had been beating its way out of his mind the past few days.

“Louder,” Rose encouraged, starting to bob her head to the beat. She dragged a microphone stand close to her and held it in front of her mouth. “Go on, louder!”

Luka stood in his spot, too, plugging his guitar into his amp. The sound of his guitar reverberated through the small room. With nothing to lose, Ivan followed suit.

“Yeah!” Rose was dancing along, and inspiration struck her. She started singing, random words which didn’t make too much sense to Ivan, and the melody didn’t always flow right, but it didn’t matter. She was having fun, and that was all that mattered.

Ivan continued with the drums, repeating the beat in his head. Luka added in his chord progression, and Rose sang louder and louder until she was practically screaming into the microphone.

She looked back at him and grinned as she took a breath. Ivan smiled back, then brought his hands up, ready to continue jamming with her.

* * *

Adrien ran from the park, yelling back at Gorilla that he’d walk home with Marinette or something. Gorilla wouldn’t care, he knew. He’d just wander around the city or something and wait in front of the house until Adrien came back home so they could enter together. Since Nathalie had taken her vacation, life had been a lot more flexible for Adrien, and he loved it.

He jogged down the street, scouring the area for his friends. He’d seen them walk by while he was modeling in the park. Nino, Kagami, and Marinette had all been focusing on their phones and hadn’t seen him. Unlike a few months ago, Adrien was no longer too insecure to follow after them and join them. Marinette had made it abundantly clear that if he ever saw her and she hadn’t noticed him, he was to follow her. All his friends had taken her side and told him the same thing. So, there he was, running around a broken and half-melted street looking for some of his closest friends and Kagami.

He wandered around a little longer, and was rewarded for his efforts by spotting Nino’s bright red hat. He jogged over, calling out to them:

“Hey, Nino!”

Adrien wasn’t the only one who’d noticed them. To be fair, they’d been walking very close to a sketchy alley in a very destroyed and unpopulated part of the city. They should have expected to be jumped.

Three guys slithered out of the shadows, One of them held a knife in his hand. Before Adrien could blink, he’d aimed it at Marinette’s throat. He glared at Nino.

“Unless you want her dead, give us all your money.”

Adrien paused, almost feeling bad for the guys. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with. They weren’t even looking at Marinette. Just because she was short and Nino was taller didn’t mean that Nino was the threat there.

Something cold and sharp pricked Adrien’s neck, too. He blinked. A voice laughed behind him.

“Look, we’ve got another one!” The guy sounded positively giddy. So, there must have been four of them. “I can practically smell the fortune on him!”

“It’s Chanel number five,” Adrien muttered. He looked up, trying to catch Marinette’s eye. He didn’t have to try very hard. She was glaring daggers at the guy holding a knife to his neck. Adrien had seen her in action before; he almost wanted to give the group of muggers a quick warning. But no, that would be unfair. They’d brought this upon themselves.

“Marinette?” Nino said. “Anytime would be nice, you know. I’m starting to get scared.”

“No talking!” one of the thugs snarled, punching Nino in the face. That got Kagami moving. She darted forward, kicking the guy in the hip. He flew to the side, crying out in pain. Marinette took the chance to swat the knife away from her neck. Before the guy could respond, she’d thrown him to the wall and turned to the man holding a knife to Adrien’s neck. Now, Adrien could let Marinette handle it all, but that would be mean.

He reached up and grabbed the guy’s wrist, squeezing until he let go. Adrien pulled the guy in front of him, twisting his arm around until it was behind his back. Kagami was still wailing on the guy who had hit Nino in the face.

Marinette had turned to the third guy when she’d seen Adrien was fine. He hadn’t seen everything, but now the guy was on the ground and was screaming in pain as Marinette pulled his hair back and stepped between his shoulder blades. He kept trying to push himself to his feet, but when he tried, Marinette would kick his arms out from under him, and Adrien could physically see the bruises forming.

“Woah, chill, Kagami,” Nino cautiously approached Kagami. “He’s already unconscious.”

“He might be dead,” Adrien noted helpfully from his vantage point. The guy in his arms whimpered, and Adrien sighed. “I’m just joking, ok? Calm down.”

Kagami hit him once more, then spit on him for good measure.

“Woah,” Adrien turned to Marinette. “She’s vicious. Remind me never to get on her bad side.”

“Hey, what about my bad side?” Marinette frowned, gesturing to the two criminals she’d taken care of. Adrien shrugged, and the guy he was holding struggled to get out of his hold. Marinette punched him and he stopped moving.

“I already don’t want to get on your bad side,” Adrien said. “No one wants to get on the back side of the girl they like.”

Adrien braced himself for Marinette to roll her eyes or brush him off. He was not expecting her to freeze and look at the ground in frustrated contemplation. She looked up at him, frowning. She opened her mouth to say something, but apparently changed her mind. She just took the guy from his arms and threw him on top of Thug #2.

“Dude, since when do you know how to beat people to a pulp?” Nino’s question brought Adrien’s attention right back to Kagami. She blew the hair out of her eyes. Adrien sent her sympathetic vibes. He completely understood how annoying that was.

“Marinette’s mom used to teach me when we were neighbors,” she said. “I just never let the skills go rusty. It’s a hobby.”

Nino threw his arms over her shoulder, and Kagami looked at Marinette with an unexpectedly giddy expression on her face. Adrien studied Kagami seriously.

Her hair was short, like Ladybug. She was short, like Ladybug. She was fierce and protective and knew how to fight, like Ladybug. She also had an adorable and goofy side to her, like Ladybug sometimes showed. Sure, Kagami had brown eyes, but Miraculous magic changed your appearance.

Adrien walked by Marinette, watching Kagami. He wasn’t completely sure yet, but he had a pretty good idea that he knew who Ladybug was.

* * *

Kagami watched Nino as he complained to her about his broken glasses. One of the lenses was cracked, and the frame bent down the middle. Even holding it up to his face didn’t help him, so he was forced to depend entirely on Kagami to lead him home.

“I really didn’t want you to see my house today,” he sighed, spinning his glasses in his free hand. “Helene and Chris are home.”

“And your parents?” Kagami asked, preparing herself to defend Nino if they said anything to him in front of her. She knew they were about as supportive of him as her mother was of her. Against her own mother, it was impossible to fight back. Against Nino’s parents, who meant less than nothing to her? There was no reason she wouldn’t defend her boyfriend.

“Thankfully, no,” Nino sighed. “Helene’s reliable enough that they left Chris alone with her. That’s totally whack, if you ask me, because they don’t even leave him alone with me if Helene isn’t there.”

“Totally whack,” Kagami agreed solemnly. Nino tried to suppress his smile, but he always ended up laughing when Kagami forced herself to say one of his strange slang words. If they amused him, she would continue to do so.

Kagami led him into his apartment, using his key to open the door. Nino told her to lead them to his room, where he kept his spare pair of glasses.

“Woah, what happened to you?” Helene rounded a corner, almost running into Nino and Kagami. She noticed Kagami and decided her previous question wasn’t worth an answer. “Kagami!” she greeted excitedly. “You’re back!”

“Of course I’m back,” she said, preparing to introduce herself as Nino’s girlfriend. Nino started speaking before her:

“Yeah, that’s what friends do, Helene, they come over.” Nino squinted his eyes to look at Helene. Kagami watched him, the blood draining from her face. Why would he introduce them as friends? They were dating. They’d fulfilled all the prerequisite: they have shared interests, they were compatible, they spend time with each other, and she’d even confessed to him at the beach when--

Oh.

She hadn’t really confessed, had she? Suddenly Marinette and Alix’s looks of uncomfortable pity made sense.

“But she’s so much _cooler_ than you,” Helene shrugged. “I just thought she’d have ditched you by now.”

“Nah, Kagami’s not the type of person to just ditch someone.” Nino threw his arm over her shoulder and steered her around Helene. Kagami pulled him close to avoid hitting his nose on an open closet door.

“No!” Helene grabbed Kagami’s arm. “She can’t go in your room, it’s a toxic jungle in there!”

“It’s not that bad,” Nino frowned, pulling on Kagami’s other arm. “Ignore her, let’s go.”

“No way, you’re coming with me and drinking some juice. Leave Nino to do his gross stuff in his room by himself!”

“Hey, could you cool it and leave us alone, Dude?” Nino sighed at Helene.

“No way. I’m cooler than you, so Kagami should hang out with me. Come on, Kagami, I’ll get you some orange juice!”

Kagami thought it over for a second. She would appreciate a few minutes away from Nino to collect her thoughts and come up with a new plan to make him her boyfriend. She nodded once, pulled away from Nino’s arm, and followed Helene to the kitchen.

“Give me a second, I’ll get you some orange juice.” Kagami sat on one of the stools and watched as Helene, only thirteen but already taller than her, glided around the kitchen to get her a glass of orange juice. Helene placed the glass in front of her. “Here you go. It’s pulpy, my favorite.”

“Nino hates pulp,” Kagami noted. Helene rolled her eyes.

“That’s because he’s stupid.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. She knew Nino and Helene loved each other, and she didn’t want to dig deeper into their relationship, especially with her own relationship with her mother so tumultuous. She took a sip and paused at the feeling of slimy fruit pulp going down her throat. Some of it got stuck in her teeth. She used her tongue to try and get it out. She put her glass down and pushed it a little further away from her. She’d tell Helene she wasn’t very thirsty if she asked.

“Whos’ that?” a little boy ran into the room and stared at Kagami. “I want orange juice, too!” He turned and tugged on Helene’s arm. “Helene, get me orange juice!” The little boy was...plush was the best way to describe it. He looked like Nino, but softer. His features were more rounded, his hair was longer and silkier, and his voice was adorable in the way only a child’s voice could be.

“This is Chris,” Helene introduced, rolling her eyes as he got her younger brother a glass. “Chris, this is Nino’s friend Kagami.”

“I’m six,” Chris said proudly, holding up that many fingers. “How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen,” Kagami said. “Do you like orange juice with pulp?”

Chris made a face. “No way! It’s weird.”

“That’s just because you haven’t tried it yet,” Helene said, placing a small cup of pulp orange juice in Chris’s hands. “If you drank it, you might just like it.”

Chris frowned down at the cup. “No I won’t,” he said stubbornly. “It’s gross. You only like it because you’re a girl and girls are gross--of course you like gross things!”

Helene took a calming breath and turned to Kagami with a tight smile on her face. “As you can see, Chris is extremely annoying. I’m pretty much the only normal one here.”

“That’s not fair,” Nino entered the room, a pair of wire-rim glasses on his face. Kagami laughed a little at them. “Yeah, yeah, they look stupid, I get it.” Nino mumbled, grabbing her glass and chugging every last drop. Kagami would have been more upset if she actually liked the pulpy juice. Then he grabbed Chris’s cup and drank all of that, too.

Chris looked conflicted, like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be mad Nino drank his juice without asking, or thankful that he didn’t have to drink the pulp. Nino made a face and put the glass down on the counter. He reached down and scooped Chris off the ground. Chris giggled, and Nino blew a raspberry into his neck. Helene scoffed and left, probably going to her room to talk to her friends on the phone.

Kagami couldn’t keep the smile off her face. This side of Nino’s was her favorite--the side which was unapologetically affectionate, and there was never any cost for it. He hadn’t grown up in the loving and supportive family he deserved, but he was still such a sweet and kind person. Kagami sighed as he gently put Chris on her lap.

“Here, talk to Kagami for a bit. I’ll go out and get us some snacks.”

Kagami did her best not to let on how happy she was at this. He trusted her enough to leave her alone at his house with his little brother! They might not be dating yet, but when she came up with a plan and actually went through with it, they would be fantastic together.

“Do you like dinosaurs?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know,” Kagami shifted to let Chris sit more comfortably on her lap. “I’ve never met one.”

Chris laughed. “You can’t meet one, they’re all dead!”

He went on to talk about his favorite kinds, and even invited her to his room to play with his toys with him. Kagami didn’t really know what to do, but Chris had as much patience as his older brother. He explained how to play, and what noises to make for each dinosaur.

“This is a T-rex,” he said seriously. He hugged it to his chest protectively. “Only I can touch this one, so only I can say Roar!”

Kagami nodded once. Finally, a rule in this house. Chris beamed at her and handed her a different toy.

“This is a triceratops. You can make it to “Ewarrr!”

“Ewarr!” Kagami did her best to imitate the noise Chris had shown her. Kagami jumped in surprise as Nino started laughing uncontrollably from the door to Chris’s room. “What?” she asked. “This is the noise a triceratops makes. Right, Chris?”

“Right.” Chris nodded once in confirmation. “Come play with us, Nino!” He ran to his bed and pulled a dinosaur toy from under his pillow. He held it towards his older brother and shook it enticingly. “I’ll let you be the ankylosaurus,” he sang. Nino plopped himself down next to Kagami, dropping his plastic back of snacks behind them. He spied the T-rex and reached towards it.

“Can I be the--”

Kagami smacked his hand away. “You can’t touch that,” Kagami told him. “Only Chris can touch that one.”

Chris beamed at her and ran to give her a hug. “You can be on my team,” he said. “The T-rex always wins, so you can be on the T-rex’s team.”

“You like Kagami that much?” Nino asked, smiling between the two of them.

“Yeah, don’t you?” Chris asked. Kagami watched Nino carefully. Didn’t he?

“Of course I do,” Nino said, pulling Kagami closer to him by the waist. “She was my friend first, you know.”

They continued to play dinosaurs, but Nino didn’t move his hand from her hip.

* * *

Marinette opened the door and blinked. An angry blonde girl barged in, throwing her coat and backpack into Marinette’s hands.

“Well, ‘hello’ to you, too,” Marinette scowled, dumping Chloe’s things on the ground. “What the heck are you doing here?”

“Obviously, I’m here to keep you company,” Chloe stuck her nose in the air, like she always did when she was trying to hide her vulnerabilities behind a tough facade.

“Quit being annoying and tell me what actually happened!” Marinette demanded. “And what the hell did you pack in that bag? It weighed, like, a million pounds.”

“Just my toiletries, makeup essentials, and clothes for a week,” Chloe dismissed, not even bothering to answer Marinette’s demand. “Where’s Mrs. Cheng? We were going to make brownies.”

“Wait, Mom knew you were coming?” Marinette led Chloe through the house and into the kitchen. “And she didn’t tell me?” Marinette scowled as she entered the kitchen. Her dad took one look at her face and hid behind the spatula in his hand.

“Don’t bite my head off, I didn’t know anything!” he said.

“Will people quit saying that, it’s not funny!” Marinette snapped.

“It’s a little funny,” Chloe said. Tom beamed down at her.

“Chloe! You’re early!”

“You lied!” Marinette accused. “You totally knew she was coming! Why did you tell me?”

“I don’t know,” Tom shrugged. “I guess I just decided I didn’t want to.”

Marinette scowled at him. Chloe poked the wrinkles between her brows. 

"You'll get wrinkles if you keep doing that," she said, smirking as Marinette swatter her hand away. 

"You are annoying, and you are annoying, and I can't believe I've ever done anything to deserve this. 

“Chloe!” Sabine entered the kitchen, a large smile on her face. “I’ve been waiting for you. All the ingredients are ready, not it just needs a pretty young blonde lady and a hot Chinese mom and the brownies are practically ready!”

“We’re going to let Mom use the kitchen?” Marinette asked her dad.

“Chloe’s here to supervise,” Tom put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He gently led her out of the kitchen, and the two of them sat on NIC.

“Be nice to Chloe,” Tom said, starting up the small TV and pulling out the game consoles for Marinette and him to play on while they waited for Chloe and Sabine to finish in the kitchen.

“I’m always nice to Chloe,” Marinette defended.

“She’s leaving her home, Marinette,” Tom said softly. Marinette blinked in surprise and stared at her dad with an open mouth.

“What?”

“I’ll let her explain more later,” Tom said. “But she’ll be staying with us for a little while. Like when Kim was kicked out of his house.”

Marinette nodded absent-mindedly. Chloe had better be prepared. After dinner, when they were in bed, Marinette was going to get answers.

* * *

Nathaniel checked his hair one more time. Should he have tried to change it? He’d had the same style for years, it would feel weird if it was short, but...wasn’t it time for a change? Maybe he would end up liking the longer style? And who knows, others might like it, too. Plenty of people in his class liked short hair. Nino did, and so did Adrien. Kim liked short hair.

Nathaniel’s phone buzzed, and Nathaniel inhaled shakily to steel his nerves. Why was he so nervous, anyway? It was just Kim, right?

He accepted the facetime call, and paced around his family’s living room. There was no way he would let Kim see the inside of his room, not when it was so messy and embarrassing.

“Hey!” Kim’s face appeared on the screen, and Nathaniel’s heart jumped in his chest.

“Hey,” Nathaniel leaned against a wall, “Did you finish the math homework?”

“...No,” Kim was laying in bed, completely spread out and relaxed. Nathaniel wished he could be like that, but it was impossible when talking to Kim. “Do you want to share your work with me?”

“Well, I was only asking because I hadn’t finished mine, either,” Nathaniel said, “I know for a fact Juleka didn’t finish hers, either. Now I have no one to ask.”

“You could try Alix or Marinette,” Kim offered. “I wouldn’t bother with Nino, and Adrien probably won’t answer his phone at this time.”

“It’s only seven,” Nathaniel said, raising an eyebrow. “Even I know he doesn’t sleep this early.”

“He’s not asleep, he’s talking to Marinette,” Kim’s voice implied the _duh_ at the end. “I swear, they do things like this and then don’t even date. Like, do they think we can’t tell they like each other? Why else would they call each other every day?”

Nathaniel didn’t want to mention that Kim had been calling him at the same time every day for two weeks now. If he brought it up, Kim might stop. That was definitely not something Nathaniel wanted.

“Why would Marinette answer if she’s talking to him?”

“Because Marinette can multitask and knows how to send pictures while talking to someone, and Adri-cat is kind of an idiot when it comes to Marinette.”

“To be fair, it’s hard to multitask when you’re talking to someone you like,” Nathaniel’s heart beat harder. This was it, the moment he’d been hyping himself up for all day. Kim opened his mouth to say something, but Nathaniel wouldn’t be able to continue if he spoke, so he rushed on, staring at the wall behind his phone: “Like, I can’t talk to you and eat at the same time, or do homework or whatever. I just. I can’t focus on anything but you. And, you know. I like you. So, I...can’t multitask. I just said that. I’m so dumb.”

Kim didn’t say anything. Nathaniel forced himself to look at his phone. Kim was smiling, his pure white teeth bright against the blue of his duvet.

“You like me?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Like, you’d go out on a date with me?”

“If you name a time and place, I’d be there.” Nathaniel confirmed nervously. So, Kim wasn’t mad. That was a good sign, right? 

“So, you’d be at the park on Thursday at five?” Kim asked. Nathaniel nodded, lightheaded from the situation. Was Kim asking him out? Did his confession work?

“Alright, I’ll see you then,” Kim pursed his lips happily. “It’s a date, right?”

“Yeah,” Nathaniel breathed. The smoke alarms blared above his head and Nathaniel rolled his eyes.

“Your dad is cooking again?” Kim asked.

“We keep telling him to stop,” Nathaniel muttered. “Sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you on Thursday.”

“And before that, too, I hope,” Kim grinned charmingly, “But yeah, I’ll see you. Good luck with dinner!” Then he hung up.

Nathaniel dropped his phone on the side table and fell on the couch, still not totally able to believe what had just happened.

“Nathaniel!” his father yelled from the kitchen. “I need your help!” The fire alarm was still beeping, and the smell of smoke was only getting stronger.

“Couldn’t you do it on your own, just this once?” Nathaniel demanded, pushing off the couch. “I was having a moment!”

* * *

That night, after a stellar dinner of frozen lasagna and perfect brownies, Marinette practically dragged Chloe to her room and sat her on the bed.

“Stop standing in front of me like you’re a teacher and I’m a student in detention,” Chloe crossed her arms. “See, I can cross my arms, too.”

“Quit acting like you don’t know why I’m pissed, Chloe. What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Chloe looked to the side, playing with a strand of hair in her ponytail. “Is this really your room?” she asked. “It’s hideous. Utterly hideous.”

“Do you really think I’m that big of an idiot?” Marinette narrowed her eyes and scowled. “What happened after you left? Why are you running away? Did someone do anything?”

“No,” Chloe denied immediately and vehemently. Marinette was inclined to believe her. After she’d started going after Lila for lying, it had been harder to imagine Chloe as a liar. But that still begged the question: why did Chloe run away? Something had to have happened, and Marinette was going to find out what. If someone had been messing with Chloe, Marinette would track them down and end them.

“So what happened, then?” Marinette kneeled on the bed next to Chloe. Sitting on her heels, she faced Chloe, undoing her hair to comb it like she did every night when Marinette was living at Chloe’s house.

There was a silence as Marinette braided Chloe’s hair. That was alright. Marinette could wait, if she got her answers. Her patience was rewarded, somewhat.

Chloe curled in on herself and mumbled something. Marinette couldn’t hear her, and she didn’t like the way Chloe was so reluctant to say anything. It reeked of something suspicious.

“What?”

Chloe turned back and shot her an ugly look. “You’re going to make me say it again?”

“I didn’t hear you the first time, it’s not my fault.” Marinette glared at her. Why was Chloe being so defensive? Usually Chloe talked openly about everything and wouldn’t shut up about it. The secrecy was unusual, and Marinette didn’t like it at all.

“So get hearing aids, Grandma!” Chloe retorted.

“Why should I? Just say it again, I couldn’t hear you the first time!”

“Well I already said it, so it’s not my fault if you weren’t listening,” Chloe crossed her arms stubbornly. The frustration built up inside of Marinette and she hit her with a pillow. Chloe was thrown to the floor. “Ouch!” Marinette hit her again and again.

“I won’t stop until you spill,” Marinette threatened. Sure, it wasn’t the gentlest way to question her, but she’d promised her dad she’d be nice, not that she’d be gentle.

“Why do your pillows feel like they’re made of iron?” Chloe complained, covering her face with her hands.

“That’s the guilt hitting you,” Marinette said, holding the pillow over her head. “Now spill!”

“I missed you, alright?” Chloe grabbed the pillow as it made its way down again. “Are you happy now? As soon as you guys left, the house went back to what it was before--silent and empty and cold. I missed you, so I left and no one’s noticed yet. So can you leave me alone now?”

Marinette blinked. That was it? Couldn’t she have just said that from the beginning? It wasn’t like Marinette wouldn’t have understood; she’d lived in that house too, and it was strikingly similar to the cold atmosphere of Adrien’s house. No wonder Chloe ran away the minute Tom and Sabine’s warmth left. Marinette’s worry dissolved into faint irritation. She rolled her eyes. “Why’d you make such a big deal out of it?” she asked.

“Excuse me, Marinette, but I didn’t make a big deal out of anything!” Chloe stood up from the ground, pointing a finger in Marinette’s face. “You’re the one that barged in here and threw stone pillows at me!”

“They only feel like stone because you have a jelly head,” Marinette mumbled. Louder, she said, “Wouldn’t you be worried, too, if your friend came and said they’d run away from home and were now going to live with you? Wouldn’t you want to know what happened, or if she’d gotten hurt?”

Chloe didn’t say anything, just stuck her nose in the air with a faint humph. Marinette rolled her eyes and climbed into bed. Chloe could be such a child.

“I missed you, too, by the way,” she said before closing her eyes and falling asleep instantly.

* * *

Juleka looked up from her laptop when Lucas entered her room. They’d known each other for so long they didn’t even bother knocking before entering each other’s rooms.

Lucas came and sat cross-legged next to her on the floor. He studied the video she was editing.

“Your next video?” he asked. “Are you ever going to show your face?”

Juleka shook her head. “I don’t need to show my face for an ASMR channel.”

Lucas nodded in agreement, the ends of his hair falling into his eyes. Juleka pushed his bangs out of his face when it became obvious he wasn’t going to do it himself. He might not have cared, but Juleka didn’t like it when he covered his eyes. They were such a pretty brown color, it felt like a shame when his hair covered them. He’d started wearing eyeliner last year, and it drew attention to them; Juleka was a big fan.

“I got some stuff for you,” he pulled a small bag out from behind his back. Juleka opened it, excited. Lucas always found the most interesting stuff to use for her channel. It was largely due to him that her channel had reached 10k subscribers, so she owed all the money she made to him.

“This is so cool,” she whispered. “Do you want to film a video with me?” She glanced up at him, hiding behind her hair. She tried smiling as widely as he did, but it felt so strange, she just couldn’t.

“I’d love to,” Lucas’s eyes always looked like they sparkled when he smiled like that. “We can use my bass. Hold on, I’ll be right back!”

Juleka watched him as he ran excitedly out of her room, slamming into a wall as the boat suddenly rocked to the side. He recovered quickly and left the room, probably heading to Luka’s room to get his bass. He was so cute.

Juleka looked down at the bag full of trinkets and tools in her hands. He knew her so well, would he be able to tell she liked him? Would he save her the embarrassment of telling him herself?

Adrien’s words came back to her mind.

_“Listen, I’ve been trying to be subtle, but I think I owe Lucas a little more. Juleka, he likes you. If you feel the same way, could you let him know? I think it’d make him really happy.”_

Of course, Juleka hadn’t totally believed him at first, but then she’d thought about it. Lucas was her friend, sure, but he was supposed to be Luka’s friend. Wasn’t it weird that he always thought about her and brought her things and hung out with her when he was at their house, instead of with Luka? Well, if he liked her, it wasn’t.

It had been a little awkward, the few days after Adrien had told her that Lucas liked her, but she’d taken the time to think. Lucas was always there for her, and so safe and comfortable. She could be quiet around him or talk, and he looked happy either way. He knew why she was the way she was, and he didn’t judge her or push her to ‘get over it’ or ‘be brave,’ like so many other people had.

Lucas came back in, his bass in hand. He made her so brave, and it was so easy to speak when he was next to her. They didn’t hold anything back from each other. Why should she start now?

He saw the weird look on her face. He shifted to look her in the eyes. “What’s up?”

“After we make the video, do you want to go on a date?" For once, it was Juleka who spoke and Lucas who was silent.

(The video they filmed together ended up being unusable. There was too much background noise. Lucas kept humming happily to himself and hugging Juleka. She giggled too loudly and the microphone picked it up. The video was scrapped, but the ice cream date afterwards completely made up for it. It surprised Juleka, how easy it was to go from friends to dating. Maybe that's because she was dating just the right friend--her best friend. Lucas went back home with her and only left when Luka kicked him out later in the night, so late it was technically morning.)


	13. You're Replaceable, Adrien's House III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the 2 year anniversary of Emelie Agreste's disappearance. Kim and Nathaniel have an awkward first date. As always, a Makara attacks. Butler Jean goes to bring Chloe home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We now have a twitter, where we like/post fan-art and any head-canons for the series we likely won't be able to fit in here. Check it out if you want/have the time: https://twitter.com/AnythingCanCha1

Gabriel sat at his desk, a mountain of work screaming to be completed in front of him. He couldn’t bring himself to care. Of course, in a few minutes, maybe an hour, he’d have to resume and immerse himself in the company again, but for now, he would allow himself some time. Today, of all days, he deserved a break. He took another sip of the red wine in his hands, flipping to the first page of the photo album in his lap.

[Gabriel held Adrien in his arms for the first time, beaming at the camera. Emelie was lying in the bed by his side, half-asleep and exhausted. The hospital room was dark, and Adrien’s face was barely visible, covered by the light blue blanket Nathalie had brought for him.]

The day of Adrien’s birth would always be Gabirle’s favorite memory. It trumped his wedding day, the day Agrete made profit for the first time, and the day he’d found Nooroo. He’d already loved him from the moment Emelie had told him that she was pregnant, but when Gabriel had first seen Adrien’s face, when he’d been able to hold him and hear him breathe, it became more real, somehow. That was his son. He’d been so small, so fragile, and so perfect.

No memory would ever top it.

[Emelie held Adrien as Gabriel spoon-fed him lunch. Emelie looked tired, and Gabriel’s shirt was spotted with food Adrien had decided wasn’t good enough for him. There was a soft smile on his face as he looked down at his son, but Emelie looked half-asleep.]

Adrien had been almost four months old in this picture. The days had been long, and Adrien had required a lot of attention. He frequently woke in the night, and he’d had a slight cold at the time of the picture. Emelie had frequently gone to her fathers’ house to recuperate; she’d always had a weak constitution and had fallen ill at the same time Adrien had. She hadn’t wanted to potentially make Adrien worse. The photograph had been taken during one of Emelie’s trips back home, and she’d helped Gabriel feed Adrien.

Soon after the picture was taken, Emelie had retired to bed with a headache. Nathalie and Gabriel had finished feeding Adrien together. Gabriel had never seen such a gentle smile on Nathalie’s face before or since.

[Nathalie stood with a baby bottle in one hand, a blackberry in the other, and a large diaper bag slung over her shoulder. She wasn’t looking at the photographer. Gabriel stood by her side, an excited Adrien in his arms, smiling at the camera.]

The three of them were walking to the aquarium, and someone had offered to take their picture after Gabriel had failed a few times to do so on his own.Gabriel remembered Nathalie had been texting Emelie non-stop that day, trying to get her to come out to the aquarium with them. He couldn’t remember why, but Emelie hadn’t been able to make it. He clearly remembered the trip to the aquarium, though. Gabriel had given Adrien to Nathalie as he went to the restroom. When he’d returned, Nathalie was soaking wet, and a perfectly dry Adrien sat on the ground. Apparently, he’d shifted in Nathalie’s arms, and Nathalie had lost her balance and landed in one of the open-top tanks. They were asked to leave soon after Gabriel arrived.

Gabriel shook his head, taking a sip of his wine. Had it been so long since he’d looked at these photos? He hadn’t thought of that day in years. His fingers traced Adrien’s smiling face. If only he could go back in time, he’d tell himself to enjoy everything more, to not take anything for granted, to protect his wife better, to keep his family together. Gabriel turned the page.

[Gabriel sat, coaxing Adrien to walk to him. The bottom half of the picture was light pink, like someone had covered the lens with their finger. The picture itself was simple enough--it was just the two of them in Gabriel’s office next to his desk, but the moment of joy it captured shone in the brightness of Gabriel’s eyes and Adrien’s smile.]

Gabriel couldn’t be certain, but he was sure Nathalie had taken the picture. Who else would have been there at that time? And, who else would have taken a picture with their thumb blocking that much of the camera lens? Emelie had been in her own office, probably in a meeting with an investor or client.

The feeling of seeing Adrien’s first steps, of not holding onto his small hands as he toddled towards him, was such pride and happiness, words could not explain. The picture did. It took Gabriel a while before he looked to the next picture.

[Adrien’s fifth birthday had been a large affair. The party was held in the ballroom in an event hall. The entire space had been filled with balloons, streamers, and toy fish, which Adrien had been obsessed with for months before the party. Adrien and Chloe played leapfrog on the floor, Gabriel standing closeby to keep an eye on them. Emelie and Aubrey were further back in the picture, holding a glass of champagne each.]

Gabriel smiled as he remembered this party. Emelie had spent months planning it, and had invited literally hundreds of people. Adrien had been able to climb the literal mountain of presents given to him that day. Though many of their work contacts had come, Gabriel had left them to Nathalie and had spent the day bouncing between Emelie and Adrien. By the end of the night, Adrien had been so exhausted he’d fallen asleep in the car ride home. For the first time in five years, there’d been no fight at bed time, and he and Emelie had fallen into bed at a relatively reasonable time.

[Nathalie stood by Adrien’s side as he came back from his first fencing lesson. Adrien looked at the camera, beaming. He’d always loved being photographed, even at six years old. Nathalie looked at the camera with a blank expression on her face. Looking at it, most people would think she was annoyed. Gabriel knew her well enough to know she was amused.]

Gabriel and Emelie had been busy in an out-of-town conference and neither could make it to his first lesson. Emelie had insisted dozens of pictures be taken of his lesson, and she’d posted them on her social media accounts, more than proud of her son.

[Nathalie’s finger smudged the corner of the next photograph. Adrien was the sole star of this one--it was his first fencing competition.]

Though he wasn’t shown, Gabriel stood to the left of the camera. Emelie had once again gone to an out-of-town conference and wasn’t able to make it. Adrien and Gabriel had gone to have congratulatory pizza and ice cream afterwards, both promising not to tell Emelie or their dieticians.

[Emelie on the left, Gabriel on the right, and Adrien in the middle--they were the perfect family. This was Adrien’s eighth birthday. Emelie’s hands were tucked behind her back. She stood tall and confident, a radiant smile on her face. Gabriel had his hand on Adrien’s shoulder, and his son held him in a one-armed hug. The three stood close, with Nathalie off to the side, a clipboard in her hands and she looked upset at the photographer.]

Emelie had hired a professional photographer for Adrien’s birthday. Nathalie had been quite upset with the choice; apparently the photographer was an old acquaintance of hers, and they couldn’t stand each other. Gabriel didn’t have much to complain about; the pictures were decent, and at least the entire shot was visible. Of course, all that really mattered was the fact that Adrien and Emelie were smiling and in-focus.

[Adrien squinted unhappily at Gabriel. His hair stuck up everywhere, and his nightshirt had twisted in the night, and he overall looked more unkempt than usual.]

It had been one of those few days when Adrien didn’t have tutoring, nor any photo shoots. He’d not been allowed to sleep in, though, for the sake of his sleep cycle. He’d come into the dining room, completely grumpy and unkempt. Such a sight couldn’t go undocumented. Gabriel had grabbed his camera and took the picture. Seconds after this picture, Gabriel had pulled Adrien to his side, handed Nathalie the camera, and told her to take a picture of the two of them together.

[Adrien was side-eyeing Gabriel, too tired to smile even for the camera.]

The door to his office slammed open. Gabriel swirled the wine in his glass and took another sip. Nathalie knew no one was allowed an audience on the anniversary of Emelie’s disappearance. She would… Gabriel paused. Nathalie still wasn’t back from her two weeks off, and Gabriel hadn’t bothered to hire a temporary replacement. No one was going to tell whoever just barged into his office to leave. He would have to deal with this himself.

Gabriel lifted his head to assess the situation, and was surprised to see a determined Marinette Dupain-Cheng dragging Adrien across the room, towards his desk. She stopped in front of him, not letting go of Adrien’s hand. Gabriel raised a brow. Interesting.

“Mr. Agreste,” she greeted cordially. He nodded and returned the greeting.

“Marinette. What a surprise. What exactly are you doing here?”

“I’m here to tell you that you’re slacking off again,” she said, eyes narrowing the slightest bit. Gabriel had to hand it to her, she didn’t give up. It was nice that she wasn’t swearing this time. She continued: “Adrien’s been moping around all day. Why haven’t you noticed?”

Adrien looked down at her, protesting. “I haven’t--” Marinette didn’t look away from Gabriel, cutting him off:

“You have”

Adrien frowned, facing her more fully and spoke lowly. “I don’t--”

“You do.” Marinette glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “All the time.”

“You always have,” Gabriel added helpfully. There was a brief moment of silence, and they all silently agreed to move on to the main topic at hand: Gabriel’s continued absence in his son’s life. He sighed. “I’m sorry for not noticing, Adrien. Today’s been a little difficult. There’s a few deals which need to be approved, and...today’s the anniversary of Emelie’s disappearance.”

“That’s ok, Dad,” Adrien smiled. “I get it, so don’t worry about it.”

“Shut up,” Marinette snapped. “That’s not a reasonable excuse. You’re not the only one who remembers her disappearance; she was your wife, but she was his mom, of course he remembers the anniversary, too. Did you even bother asking him at any point today how he’s feeling?”

Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’ve been busy working all day. This was my first break, and I wouldn’t have another chance to myself until later this evening. I would have asked him eventually, after all my work is completed.”

Marinette stood and stared at him with icy eyes, completely silent. Gabriel swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. When she next spoke, it brought Gabriel back to his days as a young child. He’d been reprimanded many times in his adult life, by professors and working supervisors, but none of them had the same stern, disapproving tone of voice as Marinette spoke in now.

“Forget the company. You’re just a CEO; you’re replaceable. The company can fire you and have you replaced in a matter of minutes. Or, you’ll eventually retire anyway. This is just a job, and you keep insisting on putting more importance on it than your own son. This is unacceptable. Do you understand?”

Gabriel felt something rise in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but he found he still couldn’t speak. He glanced at Adrien--she was so scary, how did he deal with it?

“Marinette, it’s ok, honestly,” Adrien tried to pull her away. “Let’s just go finish our movie, ok?”

“No,” Marinette pulled her arm away and glared up at Adrien. “There’s nothing with demanding your dad take care of you--he’s your parent, not some stranger. He doesn’t get to treat you like this, and you don’t get to act like you’re ok in front of me.”

“He’s busy--”

“Damn right he’s busy,” Marinette shot a chilling look in Gabriel’s direction. “He’s busy spending time with you and showing you that photo album. Get out of the seat Mr. Agreste.”

Gabriel stood immediately. He had no intention of being dragged out of his office like a disobedient little boy again. There was no way he’d really get any work done today, anyway. He could spare himself the pain and leave; he had unused paid days off, anyway.

“Shall we go to your room?” Gabriel led the way out of the office. The three of them left the office, and Gabriel locked the door behind him, handing the key to Gorilla as they passed him by. Gabriel asked him to not return the key until the next morning. Gorilla nodded in agreement.

As they walked down the long hallway towards Adrien’s room, Marinette split from the group and turned to the left. Adrien and Gabriel stopped and stared at her.

“Where are you going?” Adrien asked. “My room’s this way, remember?”

“I’m going home,” Marinette shrugged, a small smile on her face. “It wouldn’t be the same if I was there, you know? Besides, I think Chloe said she needed my help with something. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Adrien said, shoulders slumping and the happy glow slowly disappearing from his face. “Ok, I’ll see you before school, then.”

“Good-bye Mr. Agreste. I really do hope we’ll stop meeting for this.” Then she waved and was walking out of the mansion.

“She just got here,” Adrien sighed sadly, continuing with Gabriel to his room. “I’m starting to think she knew today was the anniversary and just came to yell at you.”

“She does seem to enjoy doing that,” Gabriel muttered. “Where is your dog, Adrien? I haven’t seen one, and I’ve really been looking for him. Was that just a joke?”

“Oh, he’s real. He’s in my room.” Adrien opened the door and immediately started calling out the dog’s name. “Plagg. Plagg, come here!”

Gabriel followed him inside and sat on the couch, watching as Adrien eventually found something on his bed and carried it over to him.

“This is Plagg.” A small black animal yawned in Adrien’s arms. It’s large green eyes looked at Gabriel, glinting with intelligence. As Adrien scratched under his chin, its eyes closed and it started purring.

“Adrien, that’s a cat.”

“No, he keeps saying he’s not a cat!” Adrien insisted. He turned to the cat. “Right, Plagg?” The cat meowed unhappily in Adrien’s arms and started trying to reach the ground again.

“Adrien, that is a cat.” Gabriel searched around the room. “Where is his litter box? Or food?”

“He just uses the toilet, and he eats like, snacks and stuff.”

“Adrien, you are going to kill this cat.” Gabriel pulled his phone out and started ordering supplies for the cat. “Of all the irresponsible things--Adrien, a joke is one thing, but that cat is a living thing. Call it a dog all you want, but it deserves to be treated with respect; your mother and I taught you better than this!”

Adrien rolled his eyes and the cat leapt from his arms to the ground. When it landed, it sat in satisfaction and started giving itself a bath to celebrate its accomplishment.

“Yeah, right,” Adrien walked to the foosball table in the room, and Gabriel followed. They used to play foosball all the time. When had that stopped, exactly? “When did you or Mother ever talk about animals?”

“We went to the zoo all the time,” Gabriel introduced the ball to the game, and they started casually playing. “She would always talk about how much she loved the giraffes and antelopes, remember?”

“When?” Adrien asked. “I don’t remember going to the zoo.”

Gabriel hummed while thinking. Adrien made a goal, and he grinned. Gabriel told him it was a lucky shot. They started the next round. “Your seventh birthday party was at the zoo.”

“I don’t remember my seventh birthday party,” Adrien said. “Did we ever go after that?”

“Uh...no, I don’t think we did.” Gabriel mumbled. “I wonder why.”

“It’s ok,” Adrien said immediately. “You and Mother were busy. I get it.”

They continued to play the round in silence. Gabriel felt his mind drifting away, clinging to what Adrien had just said.

‘I get it.’

That’s exactly what Adrien had said, not so long ago, in Gabriel’s office. Marinette had not tolerated such an answer, and now Gabriel could see why. Adrien would never push for anything he wanted, not if he thought it would inconvenience someone--but Gabriel wasn’t just anyone, he was Adrien’s father. It was never an inconvenience for his son.

What else had Adrien put up with, ‘getting it,’ while he and Emelie were too ignorant and immature to be proper parents?

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said when Adrien finally scored another point. “For not being there enough for you. It’s inexcusable.”

“Well, I think it’s excusable. What about the times you were there for me? You were there at all of my fencing competitions, and all my piano recitals, and all the play-group play dates. Mother was always planning my birthday parties, and she was present for those. So it’s not like you guys abandoned me all the time.” Adrien re-introduced the ball to the game, and it was time for another round.

Gabriel smiled, thinking of the past. “I remember going swimming with you, in our summer home. Do you remember that?”

Adrien grinned. “Yeah. One time we got chlorine water on Nathalie’s blackberry and she screamed. It was kind of funny because that’s the most emotion I’d seen from her, like, ever.”

“That’s right,” Gabriel smiled at the memory. “Nathalie was always with us, always keeping us on schedule.”

“Except for that one time we gave her some melatonin at dinner and took all the electronics out of her room,” Adrien had that mischievous gleam in his eyes as he brought forth a memory Gabriel had blocked from his mind. At the reminder, he winced.

“She was so angry,” he remembered. “She quit for the day, if I am remembering correctly.”

“Yeah, I think so!” Adrien looked up from the game, laughing. “That was one of the times Mother was with us, and she was annoyed because someone else had to do Nathalie’s job for the day, and they were awful.”

“It’s not that they were awful, it’s just that Nathalie set the bar too high,” Gabriel laughed. “Oh, your mother meant well, but as she had more work on her plate, she had a bit of a shorter fuse.”

“Oh, I know,” Adrien laughed. “I can count on two hands the number of times she was kind and concerned about me. Otherwise, she was just consumed by work. You know, one time she was at a work conference for three days, then I didn’t see her for another three days because she got behind on work here, and when we finally had dinner together, she just started lecturing me about grades.”

“Did she?” Gabriel sighed, shaking his head. He could certainly imagine that. He’d told her countless times--just because they had a son didn’t mean they had an emotionless robot of a child; he would like his mother to be loving and caring.

“It doesn’t really matter. After that, you and I went to the park or something and played catch.” Adrien smiled at the memory. There was a brief pause in the conversation and the only sound in the room was the sound of the ball bouncing around the table. Adrien eventually broke the silence after Gabriel scored yet another point. “I...kind of hate to say this, but I’m always kind of happy when Marinette yells at you. You’re always so willing to spend time with me after she does.”

“Yes, you have a point there.” Gabriel muttered, twisting his wrist and hitting the ball at just the angle to make it spin into the goal. Gabriel smiled at Adrien; even after not practicing for so long, he was still winning. Adrien furrowed his brow in concentration as he immediately started the last and final round. It didn’t really matter who scored the goal--Gabriel would win no matter what.

They didn’t speak much, just played with a familiar intensity. Finally, Adrien got a lucky break when Gabriel had to readjust his glasses, so Adrien scored the final point of the game.

“Ha!” Adrien stretched languidly. “Who’s laughing now?”

“Me, I suppose,” Gabriel said, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. “I won, son.”

“Forget that for a minute, let me be happy with the point,” Adrien rolled his eyes.

“So sorry, do continue.” Gabriel motioned for Adrien to continue with his celebration, but Adrien shook his head and moved to flop on the couch.

“Nah, the moment’s over. So, what do you want?”

It was a tradition between the two of them. Whoever won got to ask the loser for something. When Adrien had been very little, Gabriel could ask for cuddles or kisses, and Adrien would’ve giggled with delight every time. Then, Gabriel had been able to ask for drawings, or a cleaner room. Eventually, it had gotten to the point where all Gabriel could really ask for was a snack or something.

Gabriel decided, moving across the room and sitting next to Adrien. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. “Invite Marinette over more often.”

Adrien stared at him, a cautious look on his face. “Why?”

“Because I like spending time with you,” Gabriel said. “For whatever reason, that girl needs to yell at me before I make time for you. If she comes over more often, we’ll spend more time together.”

“Ok,” Adrien said, slowly turning his attention back to the TV in front of them. Gabriel almost couldn’t suppress the smile on his face as he spoke again:

“Also, you like her. It would be strange if I didn’t want my son’s girlfriend to spend time at our home.” Gabriel pushed play on a nature documentary he’d heard was good.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Adrien protested. “Would you stop with that, please? What if she was still here? I’d be so embarrassed!”

“Please be quiet, Adrien. You’re interrupting the movie.”

Adrien settled in his seat, pulling a bowl of already prepared popcorn onto the couch between the two of them. “Ok, but she’s not my girlfriend yet.”

* * *

Nathaniel walked next to Kim, heart racing and mind spinning. He kind of wanted to reach over and grab Kim’s hand, but his palms were sweaty, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself further.

When they first met up at the park, it had been a little awkward. Kim had gone in for a hug, which Nathaniel hadn’t been expecting, so that had been a whole ordeal. Then they’d gone to get ice cream, and there was an awkward moment when Nathaniel had aggressively insisted he pay for both ice creams. Now, they were walking side-by-side on the way to a movie theater to try and catch a movie, and Nathaniel just wanted the ground to swallow him.

“Are you ok?” Kim asked. “You look a little distracted.” It was unfair. Why was Kim allowed to look so unaffected and perfect all the time? It had taken Nathaniel forever to get ready--he had taken at least three showers to get his hair to dry in just the right style, and he’d had both his mom and his dad approve his date outfit, but Kim looked like he threw something on at the last minute--and it still looked better than what Nathaniel was wearing.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Nathaniel forced out a laugh, pulling his striped blue shirt lower over his semi-formal beige slacks. Ugh, he was so overdressed he could just die. “Just...this is a lot more awkward than I thought it’d be.”

Kim froze, stared at him for a moment, then said: “I’m so glad I’m not the only one thinking that,” He smiled, looking relieved, and rubbed the back of his neck. “But it doesn’t have to be, right? We can still have a good time.”

“I always have a good time when I’m with you,” Nathaniel said. He looked ahead; they were almost at the movie theater. “Do you really want to watch a movie?”

“Not really,” Kim admitted. “I’m not big on movie theaters. All that sitting in the dark and watching--and no talking? I like watching movies at home with friends more, or just actually doing things.”

“Me too!” Nathaniel said. His heart lifted with elation, like it did every time he and Kim found out they had something in common. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and gathered his nerve, wiping his palm on his jeans, “Do you want to come to my house? We have a bunch of games, and we have a swing set in my backyard.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun!” Kim said enthusiastically. He grabbed Nathaniel’s hand and started tugging him in the exact opposite direction of the movie theater. “Be prepared to lose, though. I’m pretty bong at board games, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, right. We’ll see where that trash talk goes when I beat you.” Nathaniel laughed, pulling Kim to the right, the actual direction of his house. “My dad’s at home, so--”

Sirens interrupted him. They blared and rang and echoed through the streets. People started exiting the stores and abandoning their jobs, rushing to get to the nearest bunker. Kim grabbed Nathaniel, and they both ran down the street. Nathaniel hoped Bunker 17, the bunker closest to them, had at least had the honey buckets emptied in the past week. It would suck if his first date ended with him and Kim standing in a big piss-smelling hole in the ground with thousands of sweaty and angry Parisians. Still, it would at least be better than ending up at a Ricki Minraj concert. He should count his blessings.

* * *

Adrien ran across the rooftop and leaped off the end. As always, his stomach lurched up until it felt like he could open his mouth and it would fall out. He clenched his teeth and extended his baton so it slammed into the old barber shop behind him, pushing him faster towards the Makara. The cold air stung his exposed skin, and he clenched his teeth to keep from shivering. His hair was already greasy from sweat, but the chilled air and the cold of his magic froze it to him and he was feeling unbearably cold already. He couldn't wait to go home and stand in the shower for an hour in steaming heat. 

The Makara was bigger than most, but also slower. It smelled so strongly of rotting fish that Adrien’s eyes watered from the putrid scent. It had four sharp crab legs on each side of its body, the ends so pointed that they gauged the street and abandoned cars beneath it as though they were nothing. The body was flat and wispy, like a piece of slimy, dripping paper. The head was only attached to the body by tendrils of what looked like fat and exposed muscle. And it was entirely engulfed by pink fire.

The fire stuck to the liquid dripping off the Makara. As long as there was liquid, there was fire--if the liquid evaporated or was frozen, the fire extinguished. The police had had luck extinguishing the fires, but it was a slow process. Any time they got too close to the flames, they looked at each other and wailed out any mistake or secret that had been weighing on their minds. Adrien had already heard 3 confessions of officers having affairs on their spouses, and a few pained exclamations of work-place theft.

He and Ladybug had figured out relatively quickly that the flames caused anyone not protected by Miraculous magic to feel unbearably guilty. Even Adrien, who had gotten a lot stronger in the past couple of months, felt an uncomfortable sensation settle in his gut. It sank and stayed just beneath his skin, and over his heart. It wasn’t active or painful, but a constant reminder that there was something he’d done to wrong someone, and he hadn’t told anyone--there was this incessant urge to confess, to beg for forgiveness, to be punished for what he did wrong.

But he couldn’t afford to do something crazy just because the Makara were affecting his emotions.

He speared straight through the Makara’s head, his staff elongating so that it pierced the Makara’s round face before Adrien’s body was forced to interact with it. The Makara shrieked in pain, the head bounced around on the end of the tendrils like a paddle ball. Adrien tried to hold on to the slippery head. His claws dug into the oozing flesh and bursts of Makara blood gushed out, covered in more pink fire. The police officers below cried out more and more--confessing parts of themselves Adrien didn’t want to know, but was vaguely interested in hearing.

Someone was addicted to drugs and stole them from the evidence locker to satiate themselves. Someone had kicked a dog six months ago. Someone had left their family so that they could start again with someone new.

This was disgusting and wrong. People kept secrets for a reason, manipulating emotions and forcing people to expose themselves before they were ready was cruel. Adrien needed the Makara to die _now_. What would he do if the guilt affected him enough to confess something as horrendous as what the officers were saying? What if he said that he didn’t care that his mother had been missing for two years? What if he said that he was jealous of his best friend for living with the girl he liked? What if he said he was actually Adrien Agreste?

He would never be able to live with himself if people knew it was him. The pressure put on him and Ladybug was high enough as it was, and that was when people didn’t know who they were. He could just imagine how horrible it would be if people stopped him on the streets, demanding he work on saving Paris, on figuring out who Pisces and Hawkmoth were, on fixing any damage he had dealt while fighting the Makara.

No, he wouldn’t be able to deal with that. It would just be a nightmare.

Behind him, he heard the _clink_ of Ladybug's yo-yo hitting and wrapping around objects as she fought the Akuma. The sound of her yo-yo was pretty loud, to be heard over the blaring sirens. She must be close. Adrien focused on defeating the Makara before she reached him. He shortened his staff, forced it into the Makara’s head again, and made it to elongate. The _squelch_ sickened him, and he nearly heaved at the feeling of the rancid and pink Makara blood on his skin-tight suit.

“Cataclysm.” The color of the world faded, and he shivered. This was the worst part of being Cat Noir--he was so cold all the time. It didn’t matter; it would all be over soon. He stuck his hands into the Makara’s head and waited. Nothing happened. The pink flames started spreading up his arms.

What was he doing? The Makara hadn’t done anything wrong. Why was he trying to kill it? That was just cruel. He should apologize--he was ruining its life, hurting it, he was acting like a monster.

Adrien pulled his arm away, ready to apologize,

“Jump!” Ladybug called out from her fight with the Akuma. Adrien didn’t think twice. He grabbed his staff and jumped. He and Ladybug had been fighting these things together for so long that if one said jump, the other jumped without question. And it was a good thing, too. The Makara head he had just been standing on was now a solid block of ice.

It wasn’t just coated: the entire thing had been turned to ice. Everyone had learned that the hard way after the Akuma’s blizzard beam vision had landed on a Parisian police officer and turned him completely to ice. Someone had tried to melt the ice off of her, but the entire statue had melted.

The Makara’s fire didn’t last where the Akuma’s ice touched, but it still continued to move, even without a head. It wasn’t like it really needed a brain--just enough magic to keep it running. Still, it was frustrating that it hadn’t died.

Ladybug’s yo-yo flew around the Makara’s legs and wrapped around them all. Adrien saw her small figure a couple hundred meters behind the Makara, the Akuma lazily flying her way. For how dangerous it’s powers were, at least it was a slower flier than most other Akuma.

Ladybug started to glow, and the ice sculpture buildings around her started melting. Adrien took a second to soak up the warmth, rubbing his hands to bring feeling back to them. The Akuma was closing in on her as she tugged on her yo-yo. The street trembled underneath everyone’s feet as the Makara’s giant crab feet were dragged together, digging deep trenches in the street. Ice cracked and fell to the ground in chunks around the Makara, hissing and steaming when it got too close to Ladybug. The police on pegasi flew down to grab as many fellow officers as they could. Adrien saw the first ever flying police cow, too. It _moo_ ed unhappily as it was directed down and then made to immediately fly back up with added weight on its back.

Adrien pushed himself off street level with his baton, heading towards the Akuma. “Light Paw.”

It felt like nothing happened. He was a little colder, but the extreme heat from Ladybug’s power quickly warmed him. There was no change in the color around him, or how he moved, but from experience he knew he was invisible to everyone but Ladybug.

The Akuma’s eyes were closed, crusted shut with a thin coating of ice. It was humming to itself, and the red glow around its eyes was so pale it was almost white. Adrien used his staff to push himself to the top of a nearby building. The Akuma hadn’t gotten to this one, yet. It was a real roof, with real materials underneath his feet. Adrien steadied his feet, turned his baton into a bow, and pulled back to create a magical arrow. He knew exactly what he wanted, and what he envisioned was what the Miraculous gave to him.

He loosed the arrow and it flew true, changing form at the last minute so it was a rope. It circled around the Akuma, and the other end of the rope was in Adrien’s hands. The Akuma opened its eyes in rage, screaming and hissing. Adrien just barely managed to duck under the blinding white beam. It kept twisting and fighting for release, getting too close to Ladybug for Adrien’s comfort.

He sat low in his heels, trying to stay as low to the building roof as possible, and swung back with all his strength. It wasn’t easy. The roof he was standing on was tilted, and had just been hit by the ice beam. He let go of the rope with one hand, digging his claws into the ice roof with the other to keep him up. It hurt to have the Akuma freeze everything in sight. These were people’s homes, their memories, their pets if they hadn’t taken them to the bunkers with them. And now the Akuma was freezing it all solid, and they would all melt away.

The Akuma continued to pull at Adrien, who was using every ounce of strength in his body to keep the Akuma from escaping. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw the figure of the Makara fall, pink flames briefly illuminating the blue-white ice of the building Adrien was on, and the surrounding areas of the city. It was beautiful. And then it was not.

The fire hissed as it touched the newly iced building. The flames were doused, and the Makara began to melt away, leaving behind millions of dollars of repair and a fresh sea breeze. The Akuma was still going crazy on the other end of the rope, its eyes now closed again, possibly to recharge. If that was the case, Adrien needed to act fast.

“Blindfold!” he called down to his partner.

“Lucky Charm!” In seconds, she was by his side, leaping to the Akuma’s side and securing the blindfold over its eyes. She grabbed the magic rope from Cat Noir, and Adrien used Simple Release to extract the butterfly. Ladybug purified the Akuma, releasing the butterfly to go back...wherever it came from. She stepped closer to Adrien, hands on her knees and sweat pouring off her forehead. Adrien shivered at the sudden change in temperature, but didn’t mind it. He was finally starting to feel his toes again.

“We both have to go,” Ladybug gestured to their jewelry. Adrien had less than three minutes to get away. Ladybug didn’t seem like she was much better off.

“In the nicest way possible, I hope I don’t see you for a while.” Adrien grinned tiredly at Ladybug.

“Just a week,” she seemed to be praying to the Evil Monster Gods. “Please, I just need a break for one week.”

“Stay safe, Ladybug.” Adrien said, and then he took off, back home, back to a day of remembering Emelie Agreste, who had never bothered to remember him.

* * *

_Hey guys. A bit of a sad post today. Here are pictures of all the lives lost in today's AkuMakara attack. To the friends and family of Officer Maude Roy, we offer our deepest condolences and thanks for her service. I hope all the pets lost in today's attack find themselves in fields of happiness and unending snacks._

_This is just a reminder guys: These attacks are dangerous. I know not everyone does this, but some of you stay at home or on the streets when you hear the sirens. Just because you can't imagine the AkuMakara attack will affect you, it might. Be smart, be safe. As soon as you hear the sirens, get out and go to a bunker. Remember to pre-pack a bag of important items (extra clothes, snacks, water, irreplaceable family pictures) Link will be posted below if you want more details. If you're able, take your pets with you. Keep them in a carrier or on a leash, but keep them safe. They're in danger, too._

_As always, Ladybug and Cat Noir, if you're reading this we thank you for putting yourselves at risk for the city._

_-Alya Cesaire, Founder and Content Manager for the Ladyblog_

* * *

Jean had been serving Monsieur Bourgeois as a butler for almost two decades. In his time as an employee in his house, Jean had seen many things, and had never said a word. He’d been present at Andre and Aubrey’s wedding, had seen the first time they fought, and when Aubrey had decided to move out of the Bourgeois family mansion. There were secrets about their married life Jean was privy to, and he’d never once acted on them--he’d never disclosed the information to the media, or tried to advise either Monsieur or Madame Bourgeois.

He’d been there, silently watching them fight and become more and more cold, and took care of their daughter without a word of protest. That had been his job: do everything the family needed, do it silently, and do nothing above what was expected. As he and his wife argued more and more, he immersed himself further into his work. When his wife eventually left him, work was all he had, and he did it to the best of his capabilities--all his tasks were done quickly, efficiently, and silently.

Then, he had been given the task of caring for their daughter. The young miss had started life in unfortunate circumstances. She’d been dropped in a household where the parents were too busy worrying about themselves to worry about her, and they did not hide that fact. As a young child, Chloe had been loud, and complained frequently, but was quickly quieted with the slightest amount of attention. After having figured this out, Jean had her follow him around all day, so she was never alone. In their hours together, he’d discovered just how curious, out-spoken, and kind the girl could be. She soon became the best part of the job; he would enter the mansion and look for the young miss before starting his daily chores, and he always made sure to hug her good-bye before leaving.

He still remembered seeing her run around the mansion without abandon, as only a young child could. His favorite days were when she spent time with the Agreste boy; hearing the peals of children’s laughter was like a warm fireplace in the cold, empty mansion. Soon, the laughter was not enough to warm the home.

As her parents had become colder, and she’d become more isolated, she grew thorns around herself, and to most she became almost impossible to approach. She was rude, callous, and, most of all, hurt. Jean tried as much as he could, but it was almost as though the young miss was lost, and there was nothing he or any of the other staff could do to find her. Though he was used to losing those in his life, and standing by when they left, Jean couldn’t find it in himself to simply allow Chloe to leave. She deserved a home, and if he could bring her back, he would.

Jean told a few of the staff where he was going, grabbed a coat and hat, and left the mansion for the day. He had a scrap of paper with the Dupain-Cheng’s new address on it. He couldn’t be certain, but he had a good idea that that was where Chloe Bourgeois was. He would find her and bring her back home--for once, Jean would not give up on someone.

He mounted his bicycle and started pedaling. The trip was silent for the most part. There were no cars to watch out for anymore, and no one would stop him. People liked to stay at home the day after a Makara attack, and today was no different. It felt like Jean was in a ghost town, not a suburb of Paris, the City of Lights, home to 2.2 million people.

Jean slowed as he reached the address. He took a moment to catch his breath. He hadn’t been going very fast, but the Dupain-Chengs lived in New Paris, right outside the original city; it was quite a ways away, even going at a leisurely pace as he had been.

With the scrap of paper crumpled in his hand, Jean walked to the front door. A dozen scenarios passed through his head. Would Chloe be happy to see him? Would she want to come back? What if the family’s father answered the door, or the mother? What if the family’s daughter opened the door? He didn’t even remember their names, how could he speak to them, asking them to convince Chloe to come back home?

Jean knocked on the door and waited. There was some slight noise inside, something like ‘just a minute!’

Chloe Bourgeois opened the door, a wide smile on her face. Jean blinked. When had he ever been greeted by such an openly happy Chloe? It usually took five or six minutes of coaxing to get one out of her--but here she was, showing it freely.

“Butler Jean!” Chloe exclaimed. “What the heck are you doing here?” She wasn’t unkind about the question. She ushered him inside, announcing loudly that ‘Butler Jean’ had arrived, and he loved gingerbread cookies.

It was true. He loved gingerbread cookies--especially the ones shaped like little trees.

Jean was silent as he observed. Chloe walked around the house, completely at ease. She sat him down on a hideous sofa in the living room, and left to get refreshments. She returned with tea and juice in hand, and her short friend followed carrying a few glasses.

“Marinette, this is Butler Jean. Butler Jean, Marinette.”

“We know each other,” Marinette said. “We saw each other all the time when I was living at your house.”

“Oh, right,” Chloe said easily, flipping the end of her ponytail over her shoulder. “I forgot, oopsies.” This was very unlike her. Chloe knew how bad Jean was at remembering people--she usually got a kick out of watching him flounder to remember someone who clearly recognized him by name. Her re-introducing him to someone was unusual, but very much appreciated.

“What brings you here?” Marinette asked, looking at Jean in curiosity. “The mayor’s house isn’t very close to here, this must have been some walk.”

“I rode a bicycle, actually,” Jean clarified, gratefully accepting the glass of juice Chloe offered him. “It was a very long ride.”

“Was there anyone outside?” Chloe asked. “We didn’t go out today, but I heard there was literally no one on the streets. And that’s crazy, because Ronny McDonny and Avril Butler from Jagged Stone had a public speech scheduled for today, but no one showed up, so it got, like, cancelled!”

Interesting, that she was ‘we’ didn’t go out instead of just referring to herself. Back at the Bourgeois mansion, Chloe had always thought of herself as an individual, never as part of a unit.

“There was no one,” Jean confirmed. “At some point I thought I heard someone walking, but that turned out to be an empty plastic bag rolling on the ground.”

“My friends tell me I’m like a plastic bag all the time,” Marinette nodded. “I can understand why you’d think it sounds like a person.”

“Hello, Sir.” Jean looked to the left to see who had greeted him. Ah, yes--the enormous man with the mustache and unending cheer and apparently no knowledge on how microwaves worked.

“Mr. Dupain,” Jean stood to greet him properly, but Mr. Dupain waved him down.

“You’re a guest. Please, stay seated.”

“He likes gingerbread cookies,” Chloe said again from her spot next to them. “Especially if they’re shaped like trees.”

“Well, it’s a little late for large batches of those, but I can make a dozen.” Before Jean could tell the man that there was no need, and that he was fine, the man was out of the living room. On his way out, he passed by a short Asian woman. “I’m going to make gingerbread cookies,” he updated his wife. “Our guest is one of the butlers from the Bourgeois mansion.”

“Oh!“ the woman looked at him in obvious surprise. “Hello,” she nodded, then gently pushed her husband out of the room. “Sorry that the house is in such disarray, we weren’t expecting guests. Marinette, go clear out the dining room. Chloe, help her and also set the plates. Let me know when you’re done so I can bring our guest over.”

Jean didn’t even want to look in Chloe’s direction. She was a kind child at heart, and she liked to help others. What she didn’t like was to be ordered around. Even though he wasn’t looking, Jean could only imagine her face: red and puffed as a bee sting. Oh, Madame Dupain had better be ready for the earful she was going to receive. He’d been trying to get Chloe to do chores for years and had never succeeded, and that was in her own home! There was no way she would just…

“Ok,” both girls said simultaneously. They stood as one, and left. Jean was left with Madame Cheng.

“I hope you don’t mind waiting while the girls clean up the dining room,” she said. “Dinner is all prepared, and by the time we finish eating, the cookies should be done.”

“Oh, that is no problem at all--thank you so much for your hospitality. I’m just surprised that Mademoiselle Chloe was so compliant.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I quite understand.” Madame Cheng tilted her head in a questioning fashion, encouraging him to speak.

“Since she was a young child, Mademoiselle Chloe has never taken well to being bossed around. She always fought and yelled if anyone tried. I am simply surprised she allowed you to tell her what to do.”

“Well,” Madame Cheng chuckled, “If you’re a part of this family, you’re a part of the clean-up crew. No exceptions.”

“Mom, we’re ready,” Marinette appeared in the door to the hallway. “Butler Jean, please come this way, Chloe’s just putting out dinner.”

Dinner was a strange affair. Not much happened. There was talking and laughing and joking. All in all it was completely normal, just like the dinners Jean was used to having with Chloe and whatever staff members were working late at night. This was special, though, because no one was being paid to be here. This was a family, and this was their home, and Jean was the only guest at the table.

“So, you forgot to tell us, Jean,” Tom said, bringing out a platter with freshly baked gingerbread trees. “What brings you to our home?”

Jean had come here to bring Chloe back home, but if he took her back to the Bourgeois mansion, he’d only be taking her away from her home. He reached towards the offered platter and pulled a few cookies onto his plate.

“I was just here to check up on the address Mademoiselle left at the mansion.” He turned to Chloe, smiling at the carefree, easy expression on her face. “Worry not. Your belongings will all be sent over in the next couple of days.”


	14. Progress II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien picks Marinette and Chloe up in the morning to take them to school. Tom is much too happy for small progress. A new side of Mylene and Lila are revealed. Nathalie snaps at Gabriel. Adrien and Gabriel make it to family game night.

Adrien rubbed his hands together as he staggered to the front door of Marinette’s house. It was dark and cold outside, and when he breathed out he could see a puff of his own breath. He fumbled with the keys before they finally fit in and he let himself in. Gorilla followed close behind, giving him a slight evil glare. Adrien didn’t mind. He was likely just mad he’d taken so long to open the door, and about how early they’d had to leave the mansion. In order to get to Marinette and Chloe’s house with enough time to actually take them both to school in the morning, he and Gorilla had to wake up at an ungodly hour, and set out of the house when it was still cold enough for Gorilla to wear a parka, even as he was pedaling full-force through town.

It didn’t matter, though. It was all worth it to spend the morning with Marinette. Chloe being there was cool, too, sometimes.

“Hello, Adrien,” Sabine greeted, handing him a paper bag with a couple of croissants and a pumpkin muffin. In his other hand she placed a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Adrien inhaled the scent--made with almond milk and sprinkled with cinnamon--just the way he liked it. Sabine winked at him. “I snuck in a container of rice and kung pao chicken--your favorite, right?”

“Yeah!” Adrien opened the bag eagerly, excited to just smell the food. “Thanks, Sabine,” he grinned, grabbing the muffin and handing it to Gorilla. Sabine waved the thanks off and pulled him in for a good morning hug.

“You’re a growing boy. You need all the chicken I can cook--just look at you, we need some meat on these bones.”

“I have plenty of meat!” Adrien laughingly protested, flexing his bicep through his puffy jacket. Even with the material in the way, Adrien was proud of the solid lump of muscle. “See?”

“Oh, yes,” Sabine nodded politely. She did not look impressed in the slightest. “I’ll go get you another serving. You stay right here, I’ll be back faster than you can blink!” And she was off. There was a slight commotion in the kitchen, and Tom complained about something, but he soon walked out to greet Gorilla for the morning.

Adrien ate his croissant and waited for Tom to notice him. It took longer than he’d like, but he couldn’t blame him. Tom wasn’t really a morning person; he liked silence, and he found that with Gorilla.

“Morning,” Tom finally mumbled towards Adrien. Adrien gave Tom a hug instead of returning the greeting and starting an awkward and boring conversation. Tom smelled like yeast and vanilla extract, like he did every morning. It was nice to actually have a scent to think of when Adrien thought of ‘home.’

“Sorry for making you wait,” Sabine came back, another container in her hand. She put it in Adrien’s lunch bag. “I’ll go get the girls. They should be ready by now. They’re probably just messing around up there.”

Sabine lightly walked up the steps to the second story of the house, and Adrien heard her yelling at Marinette and Chloe to hurry up and that Adrien was waiting for them.

Adrien heard Chloe call out, “Just one more minute, jeez!” There was some other general ruckus and Marinette stomped down the stairs. She noticed Adrien before the last step and beckoned him towards her.

“Hey,” he greeted, moving to give her a hug. She didn’t seem to want that, though. She tilted her head and pecked him on the cheek.

“It’s been a rough morning,” she said, looking absolutely exhausted. “It’s so good to see you.”

Chloe rolled her eyes at the top of the stairs, then looked a little bit behind him. “Mr. Dupain, you’re way too excited for such a small development. The way they’re going, they won’t be dating til they’re thirty.”

Adrien’s cheek tingled pleasantly where Marinette had kissed him, and he wondered if this meant it was alright to kiss her cheek, now. It should be, right? He pictured it: he would walk in, say hello to Tom and Sabine, kiss Marinette’s cheek, and then they’d go to school together. They’d talk and laugh and Chloe could walk and everything would be great.

“Earth to Adri-cat,” Chloe practically yelled into his ear. Adrien cried out in surprise and jumped back. Chloe gave him a ‘I know what you were thinking about’ look and linked her arm with Marinette’s. “You’d better be prepared to face the consequences for what you just did.” Chloe escorted Marinette down the stairs and out the door, grabbing the lunch bags Tom handed her. “He’ll be insufferable from now on.”

Adrien reluctantly followed them out into the abyss, also known as the freezing French morning, and climbed into the pedicab. Gorilla looked absolutely thrilled to be forced out of the warm Dupain-Cheng household and into the chilled air. He shot Adrien another look as he climbed on the bike and started pedalling.

“Morning, Chlo,” Adrien threw his arm over Chloe’s shoulder. She was like a personal heater. He always liked snuggling up to her in the colder months. Marinette had the same idea and was clinging to her other side like a lifeline.

“Get away from me,” Chloe grumbled, but she didn’t try to shove him away.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Adrien asked. “You’re usually a morning person.”

“I fell asleep on NIC last night,” she made a face. “So my back and neck hurt, and I keep smelling this weird smell, and it won’t go away. Also, I woke up late and freezing cold so I only had half the amount of time to get ready. Then everyone was yelling at me and it was entirely too much. This morning was ridiculous--utterly ridiculous!”

“Who’s Nick?” Adrien asked. “And how did Tom let you sleep on him?”

“He’s not a person, you doof,” Chloe rolled her eyes. “It’s the couch.”

“Nonna’s Indestructible Couch,” Marinette chimed in helpfully, sounding half-asleep. “N-I-C. It survived the second world war, three marriages, the destruction of my house, and now a night with Chloe.”

“And a morning with Chloe,” Adrien added, chuckling as Chloe swatted him on the arm.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded. No one responded. Marinette snored on her side of the pedicab. Chloe shook her awake. “What was that supposed to mean?” she demanded. “I’m a dream!”

“A bad dream,” Marinette said grouchily, scowling at her. “You screamed when Mom woke you up, and when I didn’t get out of the bathroom fast enough for you, you cried. You stressed Dad out so much that he cried, too.”

“You made Tom cry?”

“I did not mean to, and then I felt awful,” Chloe defended. “So let it go!”

“Then let me sleep.” Marinette demanded, using Chloe’s arm as a pillow. Adrien had always associated sleep with peacefulness, but that was before he’d seen Marinette angrily go to sleep. It didn’t seem possible, but Marinette made it happen. She frowned, daring anyone to disturb her, and huffed as she drifted to sleep, her brows furrowed. Adrien tentatively reached forward and poked the space between her eyebrows. Her face instantly smoothed, and her breathing evened out a little. Chloe shot him an impressed look, and Adrien shrugged nonchalantly. Yeah, he was good. He knew it.

“What’s up with her?” Adrien asked Chloe quietly. “She seems a little out of it.”

“She was up late,” she said. “We’re doing catering until we save up enough money to buy and open up an actual bakery again. Business has been alright, but we’re taking all the orders we can get, so Marinette has to stay up late a lot of the time so her dad has enough sleep before he starts in the morning. Last night was apparently a big order, so she was up a long time, then she delivered the stuff this morning before I woke up.

“She’s insane,” Adrien sighed, wishing he and Chloe had switched seats. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of his hot chocolate and the muffin in his lunch.

_"I love getting my breakfast from the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery. Delicious and a family owned business."_

He posted the picture and the caption on his social media and tucked his phone away. He wasn’t sure how much it would help, but he was a pretty famous model and he’d been a child actor in a few advertisements back in the day. For whatever reason, he had a large following on social media, and he hoped the exposure would help Tom and Sabine’s situation, even just the smallest amount.

“She’s also been helping me unpack,” Chloe continued. “She’s annoying like that.”

“You mean she was stubborn and wouldn’t let you do it on your own?” Adrien clarified.

“Duh,” Chloe rolled her eyes. “What else would I mean?”

Adrien chose not to explain that Chloe often spoke so vaguely it sounded rude; it would just be a waste of his time. “So you’re unpacking, though? That’s exciting.”

Chloe looked down and smiled softly. “Yeah. It really is. Everyone’s been so nice about it, too. Mrs. Cheng has really helped me, and hasn’t once acted like I was a burden or a chore. I’ve always dreamed of that--you know. Now I’ve finally got it. It’s almost surreal, to be living out the thing I’ve been wishing for for so long. Sometimes I worry that if I say one wrong word, I’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal. I’ve never felt so happy. Like, ever.”

“You deserve it, Chlo,” Adrien said. He hadn’t been expecting such an in-depth answer, but that was the thing about Chloe--once she was comfortable around you, she wasn’t afraid to open up. It was one of the things he admired so much about her. “I’ve been trying to tell you for years that what your parents have been doing to you isn’t normal. Now you finally get to see what a supportive, nice family is.”

“Look at the pot, calling the kettle black,” Chloe narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Like your home life is so amazing. Last I heard, Gabriel was ignoring you, Nathalie was supervising your sleep cycle again, and Marinette yelled at Gabriel again.”

“Ok, so you’re a little behind,” Adrien said, feeling a little bad he hadn’t been telling her everything that was happening. He told her about his mom’s anniversary, and how since the last time Marinette had yelled at him and he’d learned about his cat, Gabriel had been taking at least a few minutes every day to talk to them.

“Wow,” Chloe said, “I’m impressed. He actually changed.”

“I think he’s more worried about the cat than about me,” Adrien grumbled. “He’s been buying things for Plagg and stuffing my room full of cat stuff. He took out one of my bookshelves and replaced it with a bunch of cat trees and a litter box. Then he took Plagg and left.”

“Where did he go?”

“Back to work!” Adrien complained. “He just took my cat so he could pet him while working, I guess. Now Plagg is turning into a real self-important brat, and it’s all Dad’s fault.”

“You’re calling him Dad again?” Chloe asked. “When did this happen, exactly?”

“Oh, Marinette made me. She said I was forcing a distance and making it harder for him so I stopped calling him Father after she left.”

“I’m getting a little jealous, now,” Chloe grumbled. “I’ve known you guys longer. How come you listened to her, not me?”

“Because she’s less easy to ignore.” Adrien comforted, patting Chloe’s shoulder. He took a sip of his hot chocolate and closed his eyes to take in the perfect moment. If every morning was like this one, waking up so early wouldn’t be such a chore.

Chloe started talking about all the gossip she’d read about her favorite celebrities online, and what was happening in the fashion and modeling industry as well. It was nice of her to throw that in there. Adrien knew she didn’t care very much about the fashion world, but it interested him so she looked into it. Adrien tried to remember everything she said and actively participated in the conversation until the pedicab came to a stop. The small window between the people in the pedicab and the one driving it opened, and Gorilla’s steaming red face filled the space.

“We’re here,” he panted, “I’m going back to the house, and I’m requesting Mr. Agreste rent a horse.”

“Good luck with that,” Chloe said, gently shaking Marinette awake. Adrien got out of the pedicab and kept the door open for them. As Chloe exited, she examined Gorilla. “You look great, though.”

Gorilla was too busy catching his breath to respond. Marinette climbed out of the pedicab, yawning as she did. Adrien pulled Chloe to his left side and Marinette on his right. It was like a sandwich of warmth.

“Give Chloe back,” Marinette whined. She was so cute, Adrien couldn’t imagine why he’d once thought she was so scary and mean. He led the trio through the crowded halls, trying to keep from bumping into anyone.

They entered the classroom, the last ones to arrive. Lila was standing in front of everyone, a paper in her hands and obviously in the middle of a speech.

“--and that’s why I’m implementing the ‘no PDA’ policy.” She was looking pointedly at Kim and Nathaniel. Nathaniel was beet red, and Kim was very interested in his history book. “Any questions, comments, concerns?” Lila asked, sighing as she noticed Marinette’s entrance.

“Yeah, I have a comment,” Marinette spoke up. “What the hell?” She stepped away from Adrien’s side and he pouted at the lack of warmth and closeness.

“I’d appreciate any actually constructive feedback,” Lila said, smiling sweetly down her nose. “I guess I should have specified, for those of us who aren’t as socially adept.”

“And for those of us who are absolute morons, I’ll say it again: what the hell? You’re just a class president. You go to the student board meetings, you come back, you tell us what happened, and then you sit down. That’s it. You don’t get to make these stupid-ass ‘policies’ which are obviously targeted at two people, and expect everyone to accept.”

“You’re just jealous because you lost the election,” Lila sniffed. She lifted her gaze, dismissing Marinette, and smiled at Adrien. “Hi, Adrikins!”

“Hey, It’s Adri-cat, and you don’t get to give him a nickname!” Chloe shoved Adrien to the side, and he headed to his seat. Before he bothered unpacking, he turned to Nino.

“What happened?”

In the front of the class, Marinette stood with one hand on her hip and a finger pointed at Lila’s face. Chloe was holding her coffee for her.

“Oh, nothing much,” Nino shrugged. “I was on my phone, then the next thing I know, Lila’s up there telling us we have too much PDA or whatever.”

Alya turned in her seat and stared at him in shock. “You didn’t see anything that happened before that?”

“Um, no. Why? What happened?”

“It’s not your job to tell people what they can and can’t do,” Marinette said frostily. Lila smiled serenely down at her.

“Of course it is. I’m the class president.”

“That’s not even what a class president does!”

Alya leaned in, speaking quietly and keeping one eye on the situation unfolding between Marinette, Chloe, and Lila. “So Kim and Nathaniel were talking about their next date, and they were holding hands and Kim casually kissed Nathaniel’s hand and I was like, dead, because that’s so cute. Then Sabrina got up or something and that scared Nathaniel so he jumped, and I speculate that Lila thought he jumped because of some inappropriate actions from Kim. So, she got to the front of the room and introduced the topic of PDA, why it’s not acceptable, and then she got into implementing the no PDA policy.”

“So a bunch of nothing happened and you just happened to notice it all?” Nino asked. “Dude, that was a super boring story. I think I didn’t notice it at first because my brain has an anti-boring attention span.”

“That’s probably also why you always fall asleep in French Literature,” Adrien pointed out. Alya shot him a look. “What?” he raised his hands in surrender. “It’s a plausible theory.”

“I’m not targeting anyone in particular,” Lila said. “If I was, then I’d have named people. And trust me, Kim and Nathaniel wouldn’t be the names.”

“Oh yeah?” Chloe said sarcastically. “Then who?”

“We don’t even have any other couples in class,” Marinette agreed. “It’s obvious that it’s just about Kim and Nathaniel. This is so immature. If you have a problem with them, just go up to them and tell them personally! You can’t abuse your fake power as a class president to embarrass them!”

“I should probably stop her,” Nino said, not making a move to get out of his seat. “It’s too early for her to get this mad.”

“Don’t you dare,” Alya said. Max nodded, surprising Adrien by agreeing with her.

“This will be the event of the day,” Max said. “Kim doesn’t mind, so if we leave them be, Mrs. Bustier will be fifteen minutes late to class, and we will all be allowed to leave.”

“That’s a good point,” Nino said. “Dude, it’s nice to see you chill out a bit. You had me worried there for a few years. I thought you’d always be the killer of fun.”

“That is simultaneously a harsh yet accurate assessment of the past me.”

“Well, if you’re forcing me to be honest in front of everyone, I’ll tell you: the policy was supposed to be aimed at you and Adrien.”

“They’re not even a couple!” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Believe me, it’s frustrating.”

“And that still doesn’t allow you to just make up a rule and expect others to follow it,” Marinette scowled. “It’s too early for this. Sit down. Just sit down.”

“What? Out of words, Marinette?”

“Don’t do this to yourself,” Chloe warned. “I’ve been there and done that. She’s giving you an out.”

“You could stay out of this, you know,” Lila said. “I have nothing against you, and you don’t really bring a lot to the conversation.”

“No way. If Marinette stands, I stand with her!” Chloe threw her arm over Marinette’s shoulder and raised the portable mug of coffee in the air. “Plus, I have her coffee with me. It calms the beast in her. You should be thanking me, not telling me to go away.”

“I don’t need protection from a little, insecure Chinese girl,” Lila smiled condescendingly down at Chloe. “Believe me, I’ve dealt with her kind before. You can be a dear and sit down before you tire yourself out next to her.”

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Marinette’s eyes narrowed. “When you said ‘my kind’ what exactly were you talking about?”

“What do you think?” Lila said slowly. “My mother is an ambassador. I’ve dealt with people from China before. You’re all the same. All rude, outspoken, and verbally violent. No need to worry about me, Chloe, I can stand on my own here.”

Adrien sat in shock for a moment. He exchanged glances with Alya and Nino, just to make sure he’d actually heard that. Nino looked equally flabbergasted, and Alya was intrigued.

“Ew,” Chloe’s face screwed up with disgust. “Tell me I was never as bad as she is.”

“Chloe, go flirt with Alya or something,” Marinette stepped away from Chloe and closer to Lila. Her voice was hard and her eyes flinty. Adrien had seen Marinette angry before, but this was new. “She wants to continue the conversation? Fine, I’m down.” Marinette addressed Lila: “When you run out of here crying, don’t you dare call me a bully. I gave you an opportunity to sit down. This is your fault now.”

Chloe made her way towards Adrien, standing in the space between his and Alya’s desks. Her face was tensed with irritation, and Adrien could see the red blush of irritation blooming on her cheeks. She took a sip of Marinette’s coffee and greeted Alya.

“Nice shirt. It’s almost as pretty as you are.”

“And that coffee’s almost as steaming as the girl holding it,” Alya winked back. Chloe looked away, cheeks redder than before. Adrien wanted to think Alya noticed, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Um, ignoring the whole ‘my kind’ thing she just said... why exactly were you so pissed about Lila’s speech?” Nino asked. “I thought you didn’t care about that sort of thing.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “It’s the most annoying thing. Since I started living with her parents, I’ve started to have these weird compulsions to stand up for what’s right. It’s nauseating.”

“You mean, you’re disgusted by the fact that you didn’t care to speak up before, and now that you’re living with people with morals, you can see how horrible this behavior and attitude are to you?” Alya clarified.

“What is up with you and Adri-cat repeating everything I say?” Chloe huffed, irritated. “That’s exactly what I just said!”

“For what it’s worth, I appreciate the translation,” Nino volunteered.

“Just because you're unlikeable and lonely doesn’t mean you can come after me for doing nothing wrong,” Lila said, a concerned look on her face. “But I’m always here if you want, you know, one friend in the class.”

“Ooh!” Rose spoke up from the other side of the room. “Mrs. Bustier is peeking through the window! Everyone, stand up!”

In unison, the class stood up and started talking to each other. Adrien glanced at the door. Their teacher stared at the class for a moment, slumped slightly, then disappeared from sight.

“We’re good,” Ivan called. Everyone but Lila and Marinette sat.

“You’re pathetic and sad,” Marinette spat out. “I bet you have no one to pay attention to you at home, so you draw attention to yourself by being as obnoxious and fake-considerate in class as possible. And that’s fine. You can live your pitiful life and I won’t say a single thing. Everything changes when you drag Kim into it. You don’t get to embarrass him or his boyfriend--”

“It’s not official!” Kim interjected. Marinette ignored him

“--in front of the entire class. You don’t get to act all powerful and in control here just because you have no control at home, and you don’t get to throw around the title of ‘class president’ as justification _because a class president literally does nothing important._ Now shove your stupid policies up your ass and sit on it!”

The class stared at her. Oh, now Adrien remembered why he thought she was so mean. She could be downright vicious if her buttons were pushed for too long. There was a beat of silence, and Adrien felt second-hand humiliation for Lila. He wasn’t close to her, but she’d been nice enough. Sure, she was a little irritating sometimes and she lied, but she wasn’t as bad of a person as Chloe and Marinette were convinced she was.

Well, Adrien re-thought that opinion. Maybe they were onto something. Her comment about ‘Marinette’s kind of people’ was so screwed up on so many levels, he never would have thought Lila was the kind of person to say something like that.

Lila’s ever-present smile slipped off her face. She clenched fists at her side, trembling. She tried to bring the smile back, but it wobbled right off, replaced by a tear. Another streaked down her face. Then another.

“You’re so--” Lila’s voice cracked, “You don’t know anything.” And then she ran out of the room.

“I told you I should have calmed her down,” Nino said, a guilty look on his face. Adrien made a noise of agreement. He couldn’t agree with her at all. After today, he wouldn’t be able to look at her the same way, either. He did feel bad that she left in tears, though. Marinette’s anger was justified, but she didn’t have to go so far, probably.

“No one stopped you,” Alya said, scrolling through the Ladyblog.

“You did,” Adrien pointed out. Alya didn't even look up.

“He’s not a slave. He has free will. He could have got up and walked over there if he really wanted to.”

“She probably wouldn’t have run out of here like that if I’d made Marinette chill,” Nino lamented, pulling out his own phone and typing on it. Adrien peeked over. Yup, just as he suspected, Nino was relaying everything to Kagami.

“Ooh, Alya you made Lila cry!” Chloe cheered.

“You didn’t have to sound so happy about it,” Adrien coached, taking a sip of his still warm hot chocolate. “Maybe next time sound a little bad about it?”

Marinette approached the group with a sour look on her face. “Coffee.” She snatched the thermos from Chloe’s hands and took a deep swig.

“That wasn’t cool, Marinette,” Mylene jumped up and walked over, a frown on her face. Marinette didn’t even bother turning to face her; she just took another sip of her coffee. Nino, Adrien, and Chloe looked over at her in surprise. Mylene was half-Chinese. She was the last person in the class Adrien would have thought would get mad on Lila’s behalf. Alya and Max studied Mylene, more curious than surprised.

“Interesting,” Max said. “The saga continues.” He pulled out a mini notebook and Adrien saw him start to jot down notes.

“I like you,” Alya grinned at him. “Max, ignore Nino. You’re my kind of people.”

“And you think what she did was alright?” Marinette challenged lightly, her coffee in her hands. “She was totally overstepping her boundaries. No one asked her to make the--”

“Forget about the stupid no PDA policy!” Mylene cried. It bothered Adrien slightly that Mylene interrupted Marinette. But he knew he didn’t have to say anything about it. Marinette could handle herself. He could just sit back and watch. “You yelled at her, embarrassed her, and said some really uncalled for things. You say she was overstepping her boundaries? Look at yourself--was not your place, and you need to apologize to her!”

“No.” Marinette’s eyes narrowed. “Forget about the PDA policy? Fine. She was already up there in front of everyone spewing all sorts of nonsense, then she pulled out the ‘my kind’ of people bullshit. How can you be coming after me? I told her to sit down, I told her to--”

“You told her that if she had an issue with someone to pull them aside and talk to them personally, to not embarrass them in front of everyone. That’s exactly what you just did!” Again with the interrupting. More than that, was Mylene not going to let Marinette address the racist comment Lila had made? Was she really going to stand there and defend her? Adrien felt his jaw clench a little. Marinette’s face was tensing with irritation, too. “You did her dirty, Marinette, and you need to own up to it.” Adrien’s fist clenched and he bit his tongue to keep himself from speaking up. Marinette did Lila dirty? And Mylene wasn’t going to confront Lila about anything?

“I didn’t pull her to the side because she’d already made it public--she asked for comments and discussion. That’s what I did; I gave her my opinion on her dumb policy. She’s the one that didn’t back down, she’s the one with the condescending attitude, and she’s the one who made it personal. I don’t take without giving back, Mylene!” Marinette was staring Mylene down, trying to warn her. If Mylene kept coming at her like that, she’d get it.

Adrien surprised himself by wishing Mylene wouldn’t stop pushing Marinette. Whatever she got was heading her way anyway. On the other hand, he just wanted Mylene to leave. Marinette was so tired already, then she’d gotten in an argument with Lila as soon as she entered the classroom. Now she had to deal with Mylene’s bullshit? It just didn’t seem fair.

“You didn’t need to go off like that, though,” Mylene’s voice wobbled. She looked close to tears, but wanted to stand her ground for whatever reason. “Her comments were uncalled for, but that’s exactly when you should have kept your cool and proved her wrong. There was no need to go so hard and make her run out of here in tears!”

“Well, if you’re such good friends with Lila now, where were you five minutes ago, when the actual argument was happening?” Marinette demanded. Adrien cheered her on in his head. _Yeah, good point, Marinette!_

“It’s not about who’s friends with who! It’s about doing the right thing, which you didn’t do!” Mylene had a few tears falling down her cheeks, but Adrien didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy. Marinette didn’t do what was right? What about Lila--did Mylene honestly believe she was faultless?

“You’re half Chinese! Why the hell are you siding with her?” Marinette’s eyes flashed, and she scowled at Mylene. _Another good point!_

“I’m half _French_ ,” Mylene said firmly, like she was overriding Marinette’s assertion of her being half Chinese. “And I’m not siding with her, I’m just being mature about it,” She scowled. “I’m talking about it, and I’m not spitting at anyone who talks to me. Calm down, Marinette. You’re acting insane.”

Adrien scoffed; no one paid attention to him. Marinette was acting insane? Well Mylene was acting rude and bitchy. Oh, that was a good one. He should have said that out loud. But the timing was off already. Marinette was speaking:

“How dare you come after me like I was the only one being mean,” Marinette’s voice hardened, and she was dangerously close to sounding like a pissed off Sabine. “Just because she was smiling doesn’t mean her words were less hurtful than mine. Smiling doesn’t make her nicer, and frowning doesn’t make me meaner, but why is that what you always see?”

“It’s been over fifteen minutes!” Nathaniel called loudly, glancing at Marinette and Mylene uncomfortably. “We can leave!”

“Or, we can stay,” Max said, settling in his seat and watching Mylene and Marinette with contented fascination.

“Hold it!” Mylene and Marinette told each other simultaneously. “We’re not done here.” Adrien shot a look at Mylene. Marinette did so much, she should have been able to leave school as soon as they were allowed to leave. She had her job at the bakery, her duties to her family gang, and her hobby of fashion designing. Add onto that the ridiculous travel time to her house, and Marinette had no time to spare. She shouldn’t have been forced to stay in school for longer just because Mylene finally decided to grow a personality and started a pointless argument.

“I vote stay,” Alya commented. Adrien eyed them in envy. They had the option to leave and they chose to stay. Marinette was standing right next to him, and Mylene was in front of her. They were blocking the only exit Adrien had. He and Nino were trapped, no option to leave. They all stayed glued to their seats and watched on. Adrien could feel Nino’s discomfort, but Adrien just felt his face get warmer as he grew more and more irritated with Mylene.

“It’s because I’m your friend that I’m calling you out as soon as I saw you doing something wrong.” Mylene argued. Adrien knew for a fact that Marinette and Mylene were not friends. From everything he’d seen in the school year, Mylene couldn’t care less about Marinette.

“Right,” Marinette rolled her eyes. “‘My friend’ my ass! You just came to me because you wanted to tell Lila you were on her side, but didn’t want to get involved in the actual argument when it was happening.”

“I’m trying to be her friend!” Mylene cried out in frustration. “I want to be nice to the new kid. Lila’s been bouncing schools since she was eight, and she doesn’t have close friends. She’ll leave after this year for college. Sure, we won’t be great friends, but I at least want to be nice to her for the time I know her--so, sue me!” Adrien called mental BS. It was one thing to be a friend, and another to insert yourself into an argument you weren’t a part of and stretch it out far longer than it should have.

“Why are you defending her so strongly?” Marinette demanded. “You make it sound like I came out of nowhere and started terrorizing her. She wasn’t the only one in the argument, I was there, too. I was…” Marinette’s face didn’t really change, but Adrien felt her demeanor change. She was always so strong, people tended to take advantage of that. Nino, Alix, and Kim never defended her in front of people because they knew she could do it for herself. Adrien was guilty, too. He’d been staying silent this entire time because Marinette could handle it herself. She definitely could--but didn’t she get tired, doing it by herself all the time? She was just a person; she shouldn’t have to fight all her battles herself.

“Alright!” Adrien stood up abruptly and swung his backpack over his shoulder. He grabbed Marinette by the elbow and led her to the door, pushing past Mylene on his way out. “We’re done for today. Don’t ruin my day off, Mylene. You guys can continue...no, actually, don’t. You’re done. Let it go.”

Adrien was out the door before anyone had a chance to formulate a response. He didn’t let go of Marinette as he stormed through the nearly empty school. Other classes were in full swing. Adrien even heard Mrs. Mendeleiv yell at her first class of the day. Marientte was silent as she allowed him to lead her out of the building.

On the steps leading out of the school, Adrien ran into Mrs. Bustier. She took one look at him and blinked in shock.

“Why aren’t you in class?” she asked.

“Why aren’t you?” Marinette scoffed. “You were gone for over fifteen minutes. Everyone left.”

“How are you not fired yet?” Adrien asked, shaking his head and walking around her. He didn’t need to hear her answer. He was too tired to talk to her, anyway. Something about seeing Marinette so angry for so long drained him. Sure, she never showed it, but he had a good feeling that Lila’s words affected her. He wasn’t sure how, but being yelled at always left some sort of effect on someone. And if not Lila’s words, then Mylene’s. Honestly, hearing the way she had talked to Marinette had pissed Adrien off so much he couldn’t think.

When they were walking on the crumbled and torn sidewalk, Marinette gently pulled her elbow away from Adrien’s grasp, offering her hand instead.

"It's a nice day out," she commented, sighing. "Let's have a picnic. Our food will be a little cold, but we can probably warm it up at a nearby café or something." Adrien hummed in response, not in the mood to really respond. She studied his face. “What's up?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you look like this. If you're upset, you usually just mope around.”

"I don't mope!" Adrien protested. Marinette laughed, swinging their arms playfully. 

"Yes you do! Now come on, tell me. Are you ok?"

“No, I’m not ok. And neither are you, right?” He looked down at her, residual anger still swirling inside of him. “How can you just stand there and take that?” he asked. “First Lila with her stupid comments, and then Mylene? She’s Chinese, and she's known you longer. She should have been on your side first. That argument was intense, Marinette, it got really nasty really fast. She should have asked if you were alright, or just left it alone if she felt like that. It really pisses me off!”

“You’re cute,” Marientte slowly grinned up at him. “I’ve been in worse arguments before, you know. You don’t need to worry or anything.”

“I don’t need to, but I do,” Adrien looked at her, trying to get her to understand. “You’re a strong person, Marinette, but be honest. Are you ok?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, just because you can handle everything yourself doesn’t mean you should have to. And just because you can deal with all this nonsense doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt you in some way. So, are you alright?”

“I’m…” She looked down at her shoes. They’d stopped walking by this point, in front of what used to be a bowling alley. “I’m fine. I’m just taking in the moment.” She looked up at him, her eyes clear and untroubled. “No one ever asks me if I’m ok. It’s nice. It’s especially nice because it’s you. I mean, you never seem to take anything seriously.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adrien asked. Marientte pursed her lips and was silent for a moment, pulling him to start walking again. It was warm today, and the sun shone on their faces, warming them whenever they stepped out of the shadows the buildings cast.

“It’s hard to explain,” Marinette said. “You just seem to be alright with everything. You joke around about anything which makes you sad or angry, I guess. That’s why I get so frustrated about the situation between you and Mr. Agreste. You deserve his love and his time, but you never seem to care enough about yourself or your relationship with your dad to fight for it. So seeing you angry enough to actually take action about something is a nice change of pace.”

“I feel like I’m not as passive as you make me out to be,” Adrien chuckled. He wondered if she would believe him if he told her he was Cat Noir. If she thought he was passive and chill all the time, how would she react if she learned he was the same guy who fought Makara and cried over Akuma and argued with Ladybug and trembled in fear in her arms at night? She’d probably laugh in his face and call him a liar. “I fight for what I think is important. It’s just, that takes so much energy. I usually just let everything else pass by because it’s not worth it.”

“Yeah, sure.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “The only thing I can imagine you getting worked up about is defending your dumb Hallmark movies.”

“They’re not dumb!”

* * *

“So that was intense,” Alya stretched as she, Chloe, and Nino walked to a nearby cafe. It was a nice, early spring day, and they’d all decided a nice outdoor drink would be nice to calm down after the hectic morning.

“You’re telling me,” Nino took off his hat, ruffled his hair a bit, then put his hat back on. “I’ve never been trapped behind Marinette in one of her arguments before. It was super uncomfortable.”

“It was all Lila’s fault,” Chloe sniffed. “If she hadn’t tried to implement the stupid policy in the first place, everything would have been fine.”

“You and Marinette need to chill about Lila,” Alya shook her head, laughing a little. “She’s not so…” her voice trailed off.

“What?” Chloe challenged. “She’s not so bad? Yeah, I’m sure. ‘Her kind’ of people are never so bad, right?”

“Alright, shut up, you got me,” Alya surrendered. “I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that she said that.”

“I’m telling you, the girl is a witch,” Chloe wiggled her fingers in a manner to imply witchcraft. “She’s got the whole class under her spell. It’s weird.”  
“Nice extended metaphor,” Alya praised. “I always find those so interesting, but I never get the chance to practice it much. I pretty much solely write reports or blog posts, so no room for that.”

“There’s always room for an extended metaphor if you have the time, energy, and creativity,” Chloe sniffed. “You’re just lazy.”

“And you guys are just boring,” Nino shook his head and turned left on the street. He was the one who knew which cafe they were going to, so Alya and Chloe followed. “Take your weird grammar flirting and do it somewhere else. Man, I hate French Literature.”

“Stupid,” Chloe muttered under her breath.

“Yeah. Don’t hate on it just because you don’t like it.”

“Hey, don’t gang up on me like that,” Nino laughed. “Oh! This is the place, come on.”

They entered the cafe. Nino said they needed to officially get seated by the hostess, and then they could sit out on the patio to enjoy the crisp mid-morning air. While Nino spoke to the employee at the front, Alya studied the interior of the cafe. She’d been watching a lot of interior designing shows lately and liked to see if she would change anything in the spaces she entered.

“So?” Chloe prompted, nudging her with her elbow. Alya didn’t respond, still thinking. The walls of the cafe were mostly white, and there were a few fake orange tree branches arranged around the room, framed in open frames. The floor was a light tan wood, but the tables were darker in color. They complimented each other, just like Alya’s natural hair and Chloe’s hair did.

“I think I’d add more pops of orange than just the oranges on the branches,” Alya said. “Like, maybe on the tablecloths, or a fresh orange juice station along that wall to make it a focus of the room. You know?”

“You’re so much better at this than whoever actually designed this place,” Chloe said. “You should’ve been hired instead.”

Alya laughed. “That’s really sweet, but I think I’ll leave the interior design as just a hobby. After all, if I start now, there’s no way I could excel in it.”

“Who cares about excelling?” Chloe asked. “If you’re passionate about it, go for it. Were you thinking about your proficiency in journalism when you started it, or were you just a snotty kid that wanted to start something and ran with it?”

Alya looked into Chloe’s dark blue eyes. She had always been pretty. Anyone with eyes could have seen that. At the beginning of the year, though, she’d been a nightmare. Any time she opened her mouth, Sabrina would egg her on to go a step further. Sabrina, her only friend at the time, hadn’t understood Chloe at all, but Chloe knew Sabrina. Alya could see it now. Chloe had only been as homophobic and rude to keep Sabrina around. Sure, in Alya’s eyes Sabrina wasn’t someone worth keeping, but she’d been Chloe’s only friend for years. It was almost sad to see how far Chloe would change herself to keep her friend, but how little effort Sabrina took to understand Chloe. Now, Chloe's distanced herself from Sabrina, and it had been good for her. She’d come so far as a person, Alya was so proud of her. More importantly, Alya trusted her.

“Actually, I did,” Alya said. “Um. Wow this is embarrassing to say. In my family, everyone seems to be great at something. My mom works in a three michelin star restaurant, my dad is a personal trainer for the top athletes in America right now, my older sister Nora is a nationally recognized boxer, and I’m just...not that.” Alya cleared her throat and looked to the right, not willing to look into Chloe’s unwavering eyes anymore. She’d been so sure at first, telling her all this. But now, Alya was having second thoughts. Chloe was always so confident, so sure of herself. How would she react to Alya’s stupid sob story? How could she possibly understand anything?

“You know, you’re not the only one with insecurities,” Chloe said quietly. Nino joined them, but Chloe didn’t seem to like that very much. “No, go somewhere else. Alya and I don’t want you here--go on a date with your girlfriend or something.”

“Kagami isn’t my girlfriend,” Nino rolled his eyes.

“Well, you’d better tell her, then,” Chloe huffed. “The girl is crazy for you, and it’s pathetic that you haven’t noticed yet. There, are you happy? I even spelled it out for you and everything.”

“Dude, chill,” Nino rolled his eyes. “Not like I’m seeing you make much progress, either.”

“What?” Chloe looked at him suspiciously. Alya looked at Chloe, interested by the red blush spreading from her cheeks down her neck. She wasn’t stupid; Nino obviously meant that Chloe liked someone, and they weren’t together yet. Who could Chloe like? And why did Alya feel so hurt about that?

“I’m not a super idiot, Chloe,” Nino grinned teasingly, pinching her cheeks in his hands. “Our little Chloe is all grown up and has a crush. It’s adorable.”

Chloe swatted his hands away, frowning at him. “Would you leave already? Kagami would be ecstatic to see you, and we’d be ecstatic to see you leave.”

“I know I have a cute butt, Chloe. It’s embarrassing if you say it like that, though.”

Chloe growled in frustration, and Nino laughed while raising his hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright, I’m leaving. At least Kagami doesn’t make lame grammar conversation. She’s actually cool, unlike you losers.”

“God, he’s annoying,” Chloe muttered, stomping to their table on the patio. Alya followed closely behind. The fresh air hit her like a wave, and Alya felt cleansed. She hadn’t realized how stuffy the inside of the cafe had started feeling. She took a deep breath. The cool air coated the inside of her lungs and reinvigorated her.

Chloe sat, pulling up the menu to cover her face. Alya followed her lead. It was so early she wasn’t very hungry, but she would love an iced matcha lemonade. The girls ordered their drinks when a waiter came by, chatting idly while waiting.

“So,” Chloe brought her elbows up to rest on the table and put her head on her palms. “You want to finish what you were telling me earlier?”

“What was I telling you?” It was weird. Alya wasn’t this coy; she was a straight-forward person. She knew what Chloe was talking about. Why was she beating around the bush? And why did this only ever happen when Chloe pressed her about something?

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Do you really want me to prove that I was interested? Fine, I’ll reiterate and clarify: continue what you were saying about starting journalism because you felt inferior to your family.”

“Well, that’s not it!” Alya defended. Chloe looked at her, an open and accepting look on her face. “It’s not like I felt unloved or anything. It was just...the twins were born and they were getting all this attention because they were babies and there were two of them. Nora always gets attention because she’s so amazing at boxing and everything. Like, I tried, but I could never catch up to her. I guess, I just wanted Mom to ask me what I was up to at dinner. She never used to do that, it was always about Nora or the twins.”

“So that’s why you chose journalism?” Chloe asked. “You felt ignored at home, so you got uncomfortable drawing attention to yourself, and even if you got great at something, you still wanted it to not really be about yourself?”

“No, I would love the attention,” Alya argued. “I’ve just always been curious and honest. I thought I would be the best reporter in the city because of that. A lot of journalists let politics influence them; I knew I wouldn’t, so that’s why I started.”

“But you could have aimed higher than just a journalist,” Chloe pointed out. “You could have aimed to be a news anchor so everyone could see your face and connect you and your news. But instead, you’re hiding behind your screen. I’m not judging you, but it seems like you’re in denial about yourself.”

“I’m not in denial,” Alya denied. “I’m honest, and I know myself. I wanted to choose a hobby which could become a profession, and something I could excel in. That’s journalism. And I’ve always loved writing and investigating--it is the perfect job for me.”

“Uh huh,” Chloe said. “It can be all that, but there’s also that part inside of you which knows I’m right, right? You can fool everyone else with your whole ‘I’m so honest and believe me because I’m an honest reporter, I’ll tell you the whole truth’ spiel, but I’ve been there and done that. You’re hiding that inside of you, and when you accept it, you’ll feel so much worse.”

“Jeez, thanks, Chloe,” Alya rolled her eyes.

Chloe sighed in exasperation. “Don’t act like Adrien and Nino. I know you know what I mean.”

“Humor me,” Alya said.

“Fine, act like you’re cuter than you are intelligent,” Chloe hummed and tilted her head to the side, probably thinking of how to explain herself. “It sucks to realize you have this weak or lame side of you. You deny it and don’t want to tell anyone, let alone yourself. So when you finally accept it, it sucks and you feel horrible. But then it makes you grow. You can’t move forward if you don’t know where you are. Get it now?”

“Yeah,” Alya nodded. Their waiter came over with their drinks, and the girls thanked him. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Chloe flicked her long ponytail behind her back before taking a sip of her cucumber and ginger infused green tea. She made a happy and surprised noise, looking at the drink in surprise. “This is really good!” She took another sip before switching back to the conversation they’d been having. “I’ve been there. It’s not easy, but you have more friends and a better family than I had. You’ll get over yourself faster than I could.”

“Can I try a sip?” Alya asked. Chloe offered some to her and Alya offered hers to Chloe. They both liked the other’s drink, but liked their own better. It was a nice, sweet moment, and Alya burned it into her memory. Sitting in the cafe like this, sharing drinks, talking about themselves so candidly. It almost felt like a date; but no, that would be weird. She and Chloe were friends, and Chloe had someone she liked. Right, this was just a friend-date.

“Ugh, I hate when you let yourself look like a slob,” Chloe complained, reaching forward and fixing Alya’s hair, tugging a piece away from the corner of her mouth and smoothing some in the back. “There, now everyone can see you’re cute.”

Just a friend-date.

* * *

“Isn’t this something?” Gabriel huffed to himself. “One post from Adrien Agreste and a dying bakery has record sales. Meanwhile Gabriel Agreste can work himself to the bone and has nothing to show for it.”

Nathalie almost wished she hadn’t shown him Adrien’s activity on his social media. As soon as Gabriel had seen his son’s impromptu advertisement for the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and the subsequent public support of the bakery, he’d stopped working. He sat back in his leather chair, his usually pristine hair ruffled and ruined. He’d taken off his work tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his dress shirt. Nathalie hadn’t seen him look like this since college; she found she’d missed it. He had Adrien’s cat in his arms, covering his white shirt with black hair. Gabriel never minded though. It seemed that petting the cat calmed him. Lately, if it wasn’t with Adrien, the cat was in Gabriel’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” Nathalie said. “I will be sure to inform Adrien to be more careful of what he posts, and delete that one immediately.”

Gabriel waved her off. “Don’t bother. He’s allowed to express himself and support his girlfriend.”

“They’re dating?” Nathalie couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. She’d always known that Adrien was Emelie’s son; he had the same cold green eyes and easy smile which invited anyone to trust them. (Nathalie knew better than to get close to them, though. She’d learned the hard way). She never had seen him as an inherently manipulative person, though. She’d seen them interact before. They’d been friendly, but hardly more than acquaintances. Had he seen her talent and seen the money she could make him, just as Emelie had seen the gold-mine Gabriel was beneath the kind words and unending patience? Nathalie felt disgust swirling inside of her stomach. She glanced outside of the large window in Gabriel’s office. The city of Paris had once been the City of Lights. Now everything was dark and gray and destroyed.

In a sense, it felt right to Nathalie. Her fathers were dead; the world shouldn’t be allowed to be happy. Everything should be dark and cold. Why should anyone be allowed to feel happy if her fathers, the kindest, most selfless people in the country, were dead?

A bitter feeling rose up inside of Nathalie. They’d died, and for what? For Emelie. A feeling of hatred, so strong that it almost knocked her to her knees, filled Nathalie. It bubbled poisonously in her stomach and spread from her toes to the tips of her hair. How much more did she have to lose to the woman before Emelie finally felt a loss comparable to her? First, the love of her life had married her and had a child with her. Then, she’d gone and disappeared as Nathalie had always hoped she would, but the consequence was the death of thousands of people--more importantly, the death of her Dad and Papa.

“They’re not quite dating yet, per se,” Gabriel hummed amusedly, still studying the tablet in his hands. “But they will. I know it--call it a father’s intuition.”

“And what does your father’s intuition say about the city?” Nathalie asked, trying and failing to keep the bitter tone out of her voice. “Does it tell you how many more people will be sacrificed, how many more lives will suffer, just so one Emelie Adrienne Agreste will return home to you, safe?”

“Nathalie,” Gabriel stared up at her, blue eyes wide and troubled. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. It was insensitive of me. Would you like the rest of the day off? I can call Gorilla to--”

“His _name_ is Leonard Glasson,” Nathalie interrupted, voice hard. “He lives with his sister and her daughter, and he provides for both of them. His brother-in-law died last year in an AkuMakara attack, and he deserves to be called by his name, not by an animal.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just become a habit,” Gabriel apologized. “I’ll try harder to call him Mr. Glasson. I didn’t realize it bothered you so much.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Nathalie sighed. “Gabriel. You’re kind, you’re patient, and you’re horribly self-absorbed. The guilt of destroying the city in search for your wife pales in comparison to the pain of those who’ve lost loved ones in the battles. Thousands of people, Gabriel. It’s not your fault; the fault lies entirely with Pisces,” (and with herself, for not stopping her sooner). “But you need to step back and think. You spend so much time in here thinking about your own troubles, and the problems of your own life, that you don’t look to those around you. Hell, you didn’t even spare ten minutes for your child before I left on my two week _vacation_ ,” Nathalie spat the word out.

All the anger and hurt from the loss of her parents came pouring out of her. The pain from her heart was felt physically; she trembled and her voice cracked, but she didn’t care. She loved Gabriel, but he wasn’t faultless--he needed to hear it as much as she needed to say it.

“He’s your son. Take a fucking break from your job for him; you never know when you won’t have that luxury anymore. It’s not fair to him that others have to push you to make time for him!” Her parents had been asking her to join them on vacation for years. She’s always cited work as an excuse. Now she had months of vacation days piled up, and no one to spend it with. “Step away from yourself. After everything everyone else has lost, don’t you deserve some, too? Is Emelie really worth it all? Sometimes I look at your obsession with her and I wonder if you ever really knew her at all.” Nathalie took a deep, halting breath, the sobs choking her. She stepped back. “I’ll be taking the day off, Mr. Agreste. Don’t ignore what I said. I meant every word.”

She turned and practically ran out of the room. She didn’t turn around to notice the shaking form of Gabriel Agreste which she left behind her. She didn’t hear the defeated sigh of a half-broken man as he turned his computer back on and went back to work. She wasn’t there that night to cover his sleeping form in a blanket. For the first time in two years, Gabriel awoke on the couch in his office cold.

* * *

“And just where do you think you’re going dressed like that, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe stood at the base of the stairs, hands on her hips, staring at Marinette’s back. Marinette turned around, huffing in irritation.

“My cousins are having a thing,” she said vaguely. “I haven’t been able to go in months, so I miss them. Why?”

“You can’t go tonight!” Chloe screached. “Especially not looking like that!”

Marinette looked down at what she was wearing. A sports bra, black exercise leggings, and a red jacket with some letters on the back. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had something wrapped around her hands, for whatever reason.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Marinette demanded. “I look fine, don’t I?”

“You look hot,” Chloe agreed. “But it’s freezing cold outside, and you’ll get sick!”

“Ok, _Mom_ ,” Marinette rolled her eyes. Chloe glared at her.

“I’m not liking this attitude, young lady. Besides, it’s family game night. Adrien and Gabriel were coming over.”

“Shit, I forgot about that,” Marinette mumbled, rubbing her temples. “Listen, Chloe, I’m sorry, but I really have to go to this. It’s kind of complicated, but I can’t bail.”

“You’re the one that makes such a big deal out of these family game nights, and now you won’t even show up?” Chloe demanded. She got off the stairs and tried to pull Marinette back into the house. “Come on, you can go next week. Please?”

“Aw, come on,” Marinette complained. “Don’t look at me like that. And don’t say please. It makes it really hard to say no to you.”

“Please, please, please!”

Marinette looked at her, genuine regret in her eyes. “Chloe, I really wish I could, but I honestly can’t. It’s a really important family thing.”

“Right, a family thing,” Chloe scoffed. “And you’re wearing that?” Chloe pursed her lips and pulled out her phone. “Fine. At least let me get a picture so I can show Adri-cat. I’m sure he’d be mad he couldn’t see you looking this fine in person.”

Marinette posed and Chloe took her picture. “Don’t post that anywhere,” Marinette said. She opened the door and stepped out, shivering slightly. She smiled back at Chloe. “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can, alright?”

“Fine.” Chloe moped. “Be safe. See you later.”

Marinette closed the door behind her, and Chloe wandered to the kitchen. Unlike her old house, it was really easy to know where everyone was in this home. At any given time, Mr. Dupain would be in the kitchen baking or filming a video for his online channel. Mrs. Cheng would either be filming, editing, or engaging with his fans. It was cute to see him work together on one of his hobbies. Sometimes Marinette or Chloe got to make a guest appearance. Those were pretty fun.

On family game nights, Mr. Dupain closed the kitchen early, Mrs. Cheng wouldn’t work on the paperwork side of the bakery, or the technical aspects of the online baking channel, and they’d just watch TV together until Chloe and Marinette came down to start the games.

“Chloe,” Mrs. Cheng greeted. She and Mr. Dupain were huddled around the family laptop, facetiming a woman. “Come say hello to Tom’s sister. Marie, this is Marinette’s friend Chloe.”

“She’s become more of a second daughter than just a bum staying at our house,” Mr. Dupain interjected. “She’s like the nice, sweet daughter I always wanted.”

“Don’t be so rude about my _Cara_ ,” Marie admonished. Chloe moved closer and sat between them. The woman looked a lot like him. She had his hair, and his nose. Her eyes were blue, unlike Mr. Dupain’s brown, and her lips were thinner. She looked frail, like she hadn’t eaten in a week, and the bags under her eyes were somehow darker than the ones Marinette sported.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Dupain,” Chloe greeted politely. Ms. Dupain chuckled.

“Is that what they make you call them, Darling?” she asked. “No need to be so formal with me. Just Marie is fine. You’re Marinette’s friend?”

“Yes. She and I have been in the same class for years, and we just...connected this year, I guess.”

“And you’re staying with them?” Marie asked, a tired look in her eyes. She spoke hesitantly: “Did you...did you lose your home? In an attack?”

“No, not like you’re thinking,” Chloe shook her head. “This is just the best place for me to be right now.” She’d just met the woman; she wasn’t going to pour her entire life story out to her.

“Chloe, Marie is a fashion designer,” Mr. Dupain said. “Any advice you could give her?”

“Advice?” Marie asked, raising an eyebrow. “No offense, Darling, but I’ve been in the industry for longer than you’ve been alive. What kind of advice could you offer?”

“Oh, well, um,” Chloe hated bringing up her mom’s name, especially to someone who looked so tired and probably worked endless hours to better her designs, like Marinette did. “My mom is Aubrey Clarence. I can get you some connections, if you want. I’m pretty close with Daniel Hargrove. He could get you an in if he likes your designs.”

“You…” Marie looked at her, speechless. “You’re Aubrey Clarence’s daughter?” She sat back in her chair and shook her head. “So my _Cara_ was in a class with Aubrey Clarence’s daughter and Gabriel Agreste’s son? How lucky for me.” She was muttering to herself. Chloe wasn’t too sure how to respond to that, so she looked at Mrs. Cheng. She reached over and patted Chloe on the hand.

“Don’t worry about it,” she whispered. “Marie is just going through a bit of a rough patch.”

“It’s more than a rough patch,” Marie sighed over the video call. “It’s the end of my career. I thought I was...oh, nevermind. How could I have become this?”

“Everyone starts small.” Mr. Dupain soothed. “One day you’ll be a huge name like Aubrey Clarence, Then all the hard work will have been worth it.”

“One day,” she mumbled bitterly. “When would that be? I’ve been doing this for so long...is it even still worth it? Oh, but you wouldn’t understand. I thought...oh, forget it. I’ll talk to you later.”

Before anyone could respond, Marie ended the call. Chloe turned to Mr. Dupain.

“Is she ok?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, “I’ve never seen her like this before. But, she’s an adult. If she needs help, she’ll reach out.”

“If that’s not reaching out, I don’t know what is,” Chloe pointed out. “She looks like a zombie.”

The doorbell rang. Mrs. Cheng jumped up. “That should be Adrien and Mr. Agreste!” She shot off to the front door to greet them. Chloe forgot about her mild concern for Marie and went to greet Adrien and tell him the unfortunate news. He took it relatively well. She showed him the picture she took of Marinette before she left. It was funny to see him almost drool over a picture. Gabriel was there, too. He came in slacks and a white dress shirt covered in black hair. Oh, right. Adrien had told her he’d gotten a dog. She didn’t know Gabriel was a dog person.

Mrs. Cheng led them to the living room, and Mr. Dupain started up a video game. Gabriel tried to decline the offer of playing, saying he’d just watch, but Mr. Dupain was having none of it. They were on a team together against Adrien and Mrs. Cheng. Chloe was stuck sitting the round out, but she went and got snacks for everyone from the kitchen while waiting for her turn.

In an hour, Mr. Dupain had gotten Gabriel so comfortable that he was actively laughing and yelling at Tom to watch his back and cover him while he went to try and kill Adrien’s character. It was nice; it reminded Chloe of the old Gabriel, the one who had always hugged her and let her spend the night when her parents’ situation was too much for her.

Adrien and Gabriel stayed so long that Marinette actually came back home before they left. Her hair was ruffled, she had a puffy, bloody mouth, and the bandages around her hands were gone. Her jacket was zipped up, hiding what was sure to be at least one large bruise on her stomach.

Chloe had yelled and fussed in surprise, and Mr. Dupain cried a little. Gabriel had comforted him, asking Marinette if she was fine. She’d brushed aside their concern. Chloe had tried to fuss over her, but Marinette wasn’t having it. She insisted that if she washed up and changed her clothes she’d be fine. She assured her it looked worse than it felt. After Marinette climbed up the stairs to her room, Chloe couldn’t help but notice that both Mrs. Cheng and Adrien weren’t freaking out like everyone else in the room. She’d have to ask Adrien about that later. There would be no escape from her questions.

Marinette came down, hair wet from a shower, and sat next to Adrien. She wouldn’t let any awkward or concerned silence permeate the atmosphere. She got Ultimate Mecha Strike started, and suddenly everyone was yelling and jumping in excitement as their turns came up. People won, people lost, and by the end of the impromptu tournament, Marinette was crowned the victor and it was past 1 in the morning.

Mrs. Cheng offered the guest room so the boys could spend the night, but Gabriel politely declined. He couldn’t possibly impose, and he’d already contacted the pedicab company for him and Adrien.

At the door, Gabriel gave Chloe a hug and Adrien kissed Marinette’s cheek good-bye. Mr. Dupain dramatically swooned in happiness.

"Again," Chloe muttered. "Not that big of a deal. Your response is unwarranted."

* * *

Adrien was startled awake by the blaring sirens indicating an AkuMakara attack, and an eerie yipping-bark cutting through the screen of the alarms. He jumped out of bed, all sleep gone from his mind, and called on Plagg to transform.

“Claws out.”

The house was silent. He crept to the window in his room he kept open every night and slipped out. He couldn’t just push off the ground with his staff. That would leave a mark on the ground, and the gardener would report that to Nathalie and possibly even his dad. So, he ran around the side of the house, careful to avoid the security cameras. When he was in front of the house and undetected, he pushed off the ground, extending his baton and looked around the city, trying to find the Makara.

The sirens slammed into his ears, ricocheting around inside his head and giving him a headache. People were running around the streets, half dressed and clumsy with sleep. Adrien pushed off the ground and landed on a rooftop. It would be safer to move this way; he couldn’t risk harming one of the civilians he was risking his life to protect.

The Makara was huge, which was nice because it was easy to find, but bad because that meant it would be a nightmare to destroy. It was surrounded in a haze of fluctuating orange. Sometimes the mist would look more red, and it would reflect on the nearby buildings. The next second it would be more yellow in tone, and it affected the hue of everything around it. Ladybug was already there; her yo-yo allowed her to move faster and with less caution than Adrien and his baton, and sometimes he was jealous about that.

He sped up, running and helping himself by pushing himself forward with his staff. He arrived on the scene moments after Ladybug and allowed himself a moment to just stare at the monstrosity in front of him.

The bottom half of it looked fine; It had four legs and was shaped vaguely like a one-humped camel. There was still that distinctive piscatorial thing about it, though. It was smooth, and shimmered like it was wet or covered in scales.That wasn’t the worst part, though. The part which terrified Adrien was the top. Along its spine were ten hydra heads with coyote heads at the end. Each of them were tearing pieces off the buildings near them. Sometimes they snapped at each other, but at any given moment, two or three of them were crying out. It was a chilling sound and the hair on the back of Adrien’s neck rose. The high-pitched keens sounded like screaming children, but there was a distinctive barking in the background. It was nightmarish. The Makara’s putrid scent permeated the air, and Adrien almost lost his dinner as it moved and a wave of the scent wafted towards him.

Ladybug was next to him and she gagged. The officers around them were glaring at them; Adrien wasn’t surprised, the red haze usually made them angry. He couldn't remember what the yellow did, though, and that was dangerous.

“Go on the Ladyblog and find out what the yellow fog does to you,” Ladybug snapped at a nearby officer. The policewoman snarled out a negative answer.

“You don’t tell me what to do. Go home, little girl. Let the professionals handle this.”

“Hell,” Ladybug muttered under her breath. She glanced up at Cat Noir. “No more putting this off. We have to go.”

“I’m tired,” Cat Noir said, preparing his baton to leap into action by splitting it into two halves. Ladybug sagged next to him.

“You’re telling me.”

They jumped towards the Makara in unison. Ladybug swung her yo-yo at the Makara, trying to lasso the heads together. It worked, somewhat. She caught two of them. She stood on the ground, trying to keep the heads as still as she could, but the nearby coyote heads were nipping at the string of the yo-yo. Adrien used the butt of his baton to slam into the coyote’s head. The coyote’s head was forced to the side, but it rebounded quickly, snarling and yipping at him. The screeching yips sounded over the sirens, and Adrien missed the blaring ring of the city-wide alarms.

The police on the ground decided to help out by shooting rubber bullets at the Makara. The hard scales protected the creature, and the bullets rebounded around it. Adrien felt a blunt object ram into his chest, making him lose his breath. The power of the suit protected him from a lot of the damage, but he knew he’d have a bruise there the next day. That would really not be good because he had a photo shoot lined up tomorrow.

Six of the heads continued to bite at and destroy the skyscrapers around them. This used to be one of the high end business districts of the city. Now it was quickly becoming a pile of rubble. Thousands of peoples’ livelihoods were laying in heaps at Adrien’s feet.

Ladybug started glowing. Adrien could feel the heat of it from his spot twenty meters away. He pushed himself up to a great height. It wasn’t the top of a building anymore. The roof had been bitten off. He landed on a floor of office space. Rows of desks and computers were on their side, destroyed. Adrien pulled his two halves of the baton and transformed it into his bow and arrow.

The glow on Ladybug’s body left her and traveled down the string of her yo-yo, leaving it looking metallic and shiny. It got to the loop around two of the Makara’s heads. Adrien watched as Ladybug pulled, and the string cut through the Makara’s necks. The creature screeched and flailed its heads. Ladybug skid forward, but stayed upright. Adrien pulled the string back on his bow, creating a dark bolt of energy as his arrow.

“Cataclysm,” he whispered under his breath, lining up his shot. He loosed the arrow, and it hit the head reaching towards Ladybug’s small frame. The arrow blasted against the Makara’s head, and it snapped back, hitting two other heads in the process. They bit at the head in retaliation. Why wasn’t the creature disappearing? Cataclysm always destroyed--why not this time?

On the street, Ladybug cried out in a strained voice and pulled again. The string of her yo-yo sliced further through the two hydra-coyote heads. The eight other heads stiffened and faced the sky, howling in pain as the other two heads fell to the ground in a heap and dissolved in sweet-scented mist.

Adrien pulled back again, ignoring the beeping of his ring. He created an energy arrow and shot it at the stumps where the two heads had been, forcing the energy arrow to split in two on its way there. He’d heard the myth of Hercules and the hydra before. The stumps needed to be burned, or they would regrow.

The arrows hit their mark, setting the stumps to fire. Well, that wasn’t his exact intention, but it was better than nothing. The coyote hydra heads had mixed reactions. The heads furthest from Ladybug turned to snap at her. She threw her yo-yo at them, knocking them into the other heads. The head closest to the defeated ones turned to try and run away. The legs closest to Ladybug attempted to run away, but the ones by the aggressive heads refused to move. The Makara battled with itself, and Ladybug took the opportunity to lasso another couple of heads. Adrien pulled back, ready to loose another energy arrow.

Neither he nor Ladybug got the chance. An Akuma swooped in from the sky, smaller and smaller than most. Its eyes were closed, and it kept flying into already crumbling buildings. One of the coyote heads, curious, tried to reach out and eat it. Adrien shot an arrow towards the head. That was a Parisian; he would be damned if he let a Makara eat them.

The sound of the explosion on the Makara’s head snapped the Akuma to attention. Its head faced the Makara head with an accuracy Adrien wouldn’t have expected out of something with its eyes closed, and opened its eyes. Lasers shot out of the Akuma’s eyes, obliterating the Makara’s head to charcoal. Then the Akuma screamed and closed its eyes again. The remnants of the Makara’s head didn’t dissolve into a sea-breeze. It sizzled and the smell of burning, rotten fish filled the air. Ladybug turned to the side and heaved. Adrien couldn’t help but do the same. That was disgusting.

He regained his composure just in time to see the Akuma fly off. Ladybug didn’t seem like she was going to leave her spot any time soon. She was having the best luck fighting the Makara anyway, it would make the most sense if Adrien went after it.

It flew slowly, which was nice. Adrien caught up to it quickly, aware of how little time he had left as Cat Noir. The Akuma turned to him, its closed eyes glowing. It bared its teeth.

“Where is she?” it snarled.

“Who?” Adrien demanded. “Who are you looking for?”

“If you can’t help me, get out of my way!” The Akuma opened its eyes, and Adrien ducked just in time to save himself. The Akuma moved its head from side to side erratically, making it impossible to predict where its laser would shoot next.

“Ahh!” It screeched after a few seconds. “It burns!” It closed its eyes, and Adrien rushed in, taking advantage of the Akuma’s need to recharge. It wasn’t that stupid, unfortunately. It reached out and would have punched Adrien in the face if he hadn’t blocked in time.

“Not the face,” Adrien growled. “That’s the moneymaker.”

He pulled his fist back and hit the Akuma’s head, trying to knock it out. It didn’t do more than stun and disorient it for a moment. That was fine, that was enough.

“Simple release,” Adrien said. Colors faded, until only one spot of blue remained in his field of vision. There was a blue bow on the Akuma’s pants. Adrien drew the butterfly out of the item, and the victim de-transformed. Adrien turned to catch the butterfly. He was too tired to question the victim; she likely wouldn’t remember anything anyway.

“Where is she?” the woman asked, grabbing Adrien’s arm. Adrien looked down at her in surprise.

“Where is who?”

The woman’s face screwed up, like she was desperately trying to remember. “I-I don’t remember. She was blonde. She was important. I had to find her. Hawkmoth was desperate. He promised to get me out of my marriage if I could find her. Who was she?” The woman looked close to tears. “I need to find her!”

“Calm down,” Adrien soothed, ignoring the butterfly. He’d find it again soon. “Don’t force yourself to remember, it won’t do any good. Come on, let’s get you to the police.”

“I don’t need the police!” the woman snapped. “They’re useless anyway. Do you know how many reports I’ve made? How long I’ve waited for them? I’m better off on my own! I just need to find her, then I’ll be free and safe!”

(Cat Noir was too focused on the woman in front of him. He was too tired and it was too dark. The Akumatized butterfly circled closer to the desperate woman. Hawkmoth told it to land on her back, to embed itself on her shirt, out of Cat Noir’s view. He offered her the same deal: she would find his wife, and he would get her out of her abusive marriage. It was a win-win. Everyone would get what they wanted. She, of course, accepted, and transformed again, ready to carry on her mission.)

Adrien wasn’t sure what happened. One minute he was trying to calm down a hysterical woman, the next he was standing in front of a dangerous Akuma with the ability to fry him to a crisp. His ring beeped rapidly in warning. He was almost out of time.

“I’ll find her!” the Akuma cried out desperately. “Just wait, I’ll find her!” The Akuma took off, but Adrien couldn’t follow. He needed food, he needed to recharge.

~~~

Marinette panted as she ran to keep up with the Akuma. A few heads would reach over its side and take a chunk out of a building every once in a while. This would unbalance the entire creature, and it would crash to that side. Marinette would try to take that moment to capture its legs, but she was so tired, and it was so big, she couldn’t keep it still for long.

“Lucky Charm!” she wheezed. Her hands glowed with more head and sweat poured off of her. It felt like she was being cooked alive. When the light dimmed, she had another yo-yo in her hands, but the string was sharp as a razor. She’d tried to make her other yo-yo have the sharp string earlier, but it cost an enormous amount of magic, and was too difficult to maintain.

She threw the yo-yo out around the back leg of the Makara, hoping to swipe its Achilles tendon, or just chop the whole leg off. She didn’t care which.

The cops were following her, yelling at her to stand down, that they didn’t need her, and taunting her every time something she did failed. Her patience had snapped long ago, and she couldn’t wait to go home. Too bad she couldn’t until she defeated the stupid Makara.

She pulled back on the sharp yo-yo, and the string cut clean through the entire ankle it was wrapped around. Well, that would be helpful. The flipper-hoof fell to the ground, creating a crater on the sidewalk, and the Makara wobbled on its remaining feet.

The police pulled out their guns and fired at it. Marinette threw her sharp yo-yo at the Makara’s heads, wrapping around another two and _pulling_.

With a sick _squelsh_ , the heads fell off and landed on the street and part of a nearby building. They dissolved in a pleasant odor. Marinette couldn’t take too much pleasure in that, though. The stumps where the heads had been were wriggling and bulging, like something was pushing up out of it.

“You idiot!” one of the officers yelled at her. “You need to burn the stumps or they grow back!”

Ladybug glared at him. Marinette _so_ did not need that right now. She threw her regular yo-yo at one of the remaining Makara heads, pulling herself up onto it’s back.

“Lucky Charm!” she yelled, conjuring a never-ending fire lit torch. She slipped on the creatures wet back, but pulled herself upright. She had a job to do, and she was so close.

Something burst through one of the stumps she’s just cut off. It was covered in a wet goo, like a real baby which had just been born. Ew. She swung out with her sharp yo-yo and cut it down again, immediately burning the stump with the torch in her other hand. This wasn’t so bad. She’d just need to rinse and repeat for all the heads, right? She could do this, easily.

The Makara had an annoying will to live, though. It jumped in the air, barking and screaming louder than before. Marinette was flung off it’s back. She sailed through the air, torch and yo-yo in hand. She screamed before she forced the panic down. She threw out her yo-yo and caught herself on a half-broken lamppost. Her shoulder cried, begging her to be kinder to it, but she couldn’t afford to. She still had seven hydra heads to defeat, and no backup since Cat Noir left.

She dropped to the ground, threw out her sharp yo-yo, and another head fell to the ground with a thump. Then she launched herself at the Makara, ready to burn the stump before it grew out again.

~~~

Adrien rode the baton like a broomstick, scanning the dark sky for the runaway Akuma. It had gone in this direction, he was sure of it. He could still hear it crashing into things. But where exactly was it? He cursed. If only he could see in the dark like an actual cat. Then this would be so much easier.

The ears on top of his head twitched, and Adrien heard the Akuma crash into another tree. His baton bent and he followed the noise. They were already outside of Paris. He didn’t want to allow the Akuma to get much further, or they would be in a sleeping, totally unsuspecting town.

Adrien jumped off the extended baton and fell on top of the unsuspecting Akuma. It screeched, opening its eyes and burning everything in sight. Adrien was careful to stay behind her and activated Simple Release again. This time he wouldn’t get distracted. He would capture the butterfly, get the woman to the police, and leave the unprepared city alone. The Akuma had already burned some buildings; that was more damage than Adrien had wanted the city to suffer.

Once again, colors faded from his vision, and he released the butterfly. The woman struggled in his arms, but he didn’t care to calm her again. His top priority was the butterfly. In one hand, he caught it, and in the other, he grabbed the woman. She struggled in his arms, yelling out that he had to let her go.

“I have to find her!” she kept insisting. “We had a deal, let me go! I have to find her!”

“Please shut up,” he sighed. “I’m exhausted.”

He leapt back up onto the waiting and fully extended baton, willing it to retract slowly so they ended up back where he’d first planted it in the ground. He hoped Ladybug was finished with the Makara. As selfish as it sounded, he really didn’t want to fight anymore that night. He just wanted to sleep, to relax and forget everything for a few hours.

~~~

Marinette fell to the ground, gasping in pain. There was one head left. That should have been great, except it wasn’t. The one head had sole control of its legs and it was running away too fast for Marinette to keep up, even with her yo-yo. When she did manage to wrap her sharp yo-yo around its neck, it had flicked its neck before she could pull and she was now on the ground, gasping to catch her breath.

“This is why we’re telling you to let it go,” an officer on a police pegasus glared down at her. “You’re useless here. Go home and leave this to someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”

“Who? Your coworker on the police cow?” Marinette wheezed out. She’d come to remember what the yellow haze meant: pride and jealousy. That mixed with anger made the cops unbearable to work with. The only way to get them off her back was by setting them on each other. Sure, it was mean, but Marinette never claimed to be kind.

“Robert?” the cop on the pegasus demanded. “Have you seen him? No, me! I can do it, and I can do it better than Robert ever could!”

“You’d better tell him, then,” Marinette pulled herself off the ground. “He said you sucked.”

Then she was off again, throwing the yo-yo in front of her. She was so hot steam rose from her body and into the cold night air. She wanted to go home, to shower and collapse into bed and not wake up for another week. Just the thought was glorious. Too bad that would never happen.

The Makara skid and fell to the ground as it rounded a corner. Three buildings collapsed on top of it. This was the perfect time to finally defeat it; Marinette struggled to her feet and threw out the sharp yo-yo, imagining it circling the one remaining head. The police in front of her jumped out of the way, glaring and cursing at her to mind her own business and leave them to handle it. Marinette forced herself to ignore them; this wasn’t them, it was the Makara affecting them, she had to remember that.

The yo-yo circled the Makara’s one remaining head. It barked and howled in panic, struggling to push the large chunks of concrete off of it. Dust flew into the air, making everything an eerie red-gray hue. Marinette’s eyes squeezed shut, stinging from the debris which had gotten into them. She pulled on the yo-yo tight and the yips and howls abruptly stopped.

The air felt lighter as a spray of fresh sea-breeze scented wind blew Marinette’s way. She took a deep breath of the purified air, sighing in relief as the wind cooled her cheeks and scalp.

She closed her eyes for a second, just to rest, just to give herself a minute. She was so tired. She’d been doing this for so long--over half a year. It was nice to have a partner now that the attacks were happening more frequently, but she wished she could just take some time off. She’d handled the Akuma and Makara alone for two months before Cat Noir showed up. If she could just stop fighting for two months, just take a break and not worry about saving the city or anyone’s life; if she could just focus on school and herself like other teenagers her age; if she could just be selfish…

Something landed next to her with a heavy _thup_. Marinette tensed and her eyes snapped open. She kicked out before fully seeing who was next to her. Her uncle had taught her: _strike first, strike hard, strike to win._ If this was the Akuma, she had to get the upper hand, and fast. Her fist flew towards her opponent, aiming towards its solar plexus.

“Ah, it’s me!” The figure covered his face with his forearms, completely defensive. She stopped her fist before it could hit him.

“Cat Noir,” she looked over him in concern. “Shit, sorry, I was strung up and you surprised me. Where did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, still bent over slightly. He held his hand out, freeing a white butterfly. It fluttered delicately, spiraling into the air to escape. Marinette didn’t let it. With her regular yo-yo, she purified it. It flew away, ready to disappear in a few blocks.

“The Akuma got further than normal tonight,” Cat Noir groaned, grabbing his waist in pain. “Wow you kick hard.”

“Sorry,” she apologized again. “How can I make it up to you?” She stepped closer to him. He was so cold it radiated off of him and she revelled in the feeling.

Cat Noir shook his head, letting go of his side. “It’s late and we’re both still full of adrenaline; it’s not your fault. Just go home and sleep, if you can.” He shivered again. Marinette stepped forward and hugged him. Cat Noir wrapped her hands around her, slumping over her shoulder and sighing.

It wasn’t romantic or anything; it was just a way for the both of them to feel comfort after the battle. On a surface level, her heat and his cold cancelled each other out and made them both more comfortable. On a deeper level, the kind they never spoke about, it was nice to feel the touch of someone who understood what you went through. After fighting and killing, feeling the calm and soothing touch of someone who intimately knew the fear and anxiety of the battle and the pressure of the city’s future on your shoulders was reassurance in a way no one but them could understand.

“It feels like it’ll never stop.” Cat Noir said softly. “I’m so tired.”

“Even if it doesn’t, I’ll be here,” Marinette assured. There was no running for her, no end until Pisces and Hawkmoth were defeated.

* * *

(The police later issued formal apologies to both the heroes on the Ladyblog, which was now considered Paris's fastest and most reliable conveyer of news related to the AkuMakara attacks. They also sent out a warning for the people of neighboring cities. The attacks were becoming more frequent, and more violent. It was in their best interest to start building bunkers and evacuating their homes for safety when they rang. What had previously been a plague on Paris was now spreading to the surrounding area; citizens would be wise to heed the warning before calamity befell them.)


	15. Birthday I, Adrien's House IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Nino's birthday.

“Marinette!” Adrien flew down the halls of his house, clipboard clutched tightly in hand. Something crashed off to his left, and Adrien went to investigate.

Unlike a lot of homes, Adrien’s front door opened to a large, mostly empty room. That was where the party would happen. Ivan and Rose were in charge of decorating. Juleka was supposed to be helping them, but she’d disappeared almost an hour ago, and Adrien had more pressing matters to attend to than to find her. He eyed the hung streamers and balloons critically. “More, guys,” he said. “Finish hanging up that banner, then put more balloons on the ceiling. I want it to look like there is no roof, just balloon!”

“You got it!” Rose chirped, teetering on the ladder she used to help Ivan with the banner. Adrien nodded, then scurried off, checking his watch for the time. Nino was due to arrive in thirty minutes, and everything was a disaster. Nobody had yet decorated the cake, Nino’s aunts were running late, Juleka was missing, and Mylene had shown up out of the blue.

“Is it just me, or is he totally out of character today?” Ivan said.

Rose shushed him harshly. “He’s stressed--just let him leave. Marinette can calm him down or something.”

Stressed was an understatement. Nino had done so much for Adrien since they’d met. When he’d figured out Nino’s birthday was coming up, Adrien was determined to throw the best surprise birthday party ever. Now, it was blowing up in his face. It was supposed to be perfect, but nothing was going the way it should. Where was Marinette? She was supposed to be setting up the surround sound system!

Adrien crashed into someone as he turned a corner out of the entrance and towards his room.

“Woah!” Marinette struggled to keep her balance and not drop the platter of cookies in her hands. “What’s up with you?”

“Juleka’s missing, the surround sound isn’t up, the cake isn’t finished, and Nino’s aunts aren’t here yet.” Adrien shoved his overgrown hair out of his face and looked over his checklist. “Not to mention we’re still not done decorating; Mylene is here--I don’t even know why but she’s here--and I lost the present I was going to give Nino!”

“Alright, hold these,” Marinette pushed the cookies at Adrien and took the clipboard from his hands. She looked over the list, pen in hand, to write notes next to each point. “Juleka’s in your dad’s office. She needed a quiet space to make a playlist for the party. You won’t see her for a while because, after that, she’s setting up the music or whatever. She has that ASMR channel, right? She knows more about that than I do--I told her to do that while I got some snacks prepared. So, let’s check snacks off of here. My dad’s almost done with the cake. Quit worrying about that. Nino’s aunts got here ten minutes ago, and I sent Sabaa to deal with Mylene and Priya’s in the bathroom. She’ll be out in a bit to go help Ivan and Rose finish the entrance.”

“That’s all great, but--”

“Look, you need to calm down. Take those cookies to the refreshment table. I’ll look for your present. Did you check under your bed like I told you to half an hour ago?”

“It’s not there!” Adrien argued. “I’m positive I took it out of my room this morning!”

Marinette rolled her eyes and shoved a cookie in Adrien’s mouth. “You need to eat something. You’re getting cranky. After your afternoon snack, help Rose and Ivan decorate. I’ll go make sure your dad is ready for the party.”

She turned around and left. Adrien swallowed the cookie in his mouth and took the platter to the entrance. Ivan saw him enter and sighed. Rude.

Kim and Alix breezed into the room together, two plates of sandwiches in their hands.

“Look at that. The clipboard is gone,” Alix greeted. “Did you lose it like you lost Nino’s present?”

“I didn’t lose it!”

“Yikes, too soon,” Kim said, laughing at the distraught expression on Adrien’s face. “Give the guy a break. He’s trying to do a good thing.”

Adrien grabbed a sandwich from Alix’s plate. Marinette told him to have a snack, and who was he to disobey? “Besides, Marinette said she’d find it.”

“Sorry, Adrien,” Alix did not sound sorry one bit. She placed both plates of sandwiches carefully on the refreshment table. “Come on, we have an ungodly amount of snacks to cart back here, and Sabaa’s too busy talking to Tom to help much.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” he agreed readily. The three of them went back to the kitchen, Adrien still worrying about the time. Twenty minutes and Nino would be here. They still hadn’t even set up the music!

“Here,” Sabine shoved a bowl of punch in Adrien’s hands before he was in the kitchen. “Come back for the spoon, Dear.” And then he was forced out. Kim and Alix were similarly loaded with chips and dip and told to come back for tongs and spoons.

“They used to do catering,” Alix told Adrien. “I’m glad they stopped. This is such a hassle.”

“It was nice of them to take a day off from the bakery,” Kim noted. “They’ve been making bank since you posted that ad on your page, by the way. Did they tell you?”

“Yeah, they did,” Adrien set the punch down on the table and stepped away. “Does this look too crowded? Should we move the juice to the center of the table? Yeah, I think that’ll look better.” Adrien started rearranging the table.

“Do whatever you want, Dude,” Kim said. “We’ll be back in a bit with utensils. We’ll need you again for the cake.”

Adrien nodded in agreement absent-mindedly. The punch bowl should be in the middle, and in front of that the plates and spoons. Alix and Kim came by and dropped off the silverware and some crackers with cheese on top. On the right, there could be the glasses. The left of the table could have savory snacks, like chips, dip, and sandwiches. The right side would have cookies, macarons, and cake.

Adrien stepped back and surveyed his work. It looked great. Ten minutes until Nino arrived. In the opposite corner of the room, Ivan set up a table with some stereo equipment. Juleka and Rose were hanging speakers around the room. Finally, Adrien could at least relax about that. He turned and sped to the kitchen.

Tom was in the kitchen, in the middle of assuring Kim and Alix that he could handle the cake himself. Yes, he was sure. No, he really didn’t need any help. Adrien kept the door open for him. There was no time to argue and try to help him. If Tom said he could do it, Adrien would trust him.

“Come on,” he urged, rechecking his watch. “He said he could do it, so leave him alone. Everyone else needs to go to the entrance. Kim, get ready to record Nino’s reaction. Kagami said she would get here at 2:30 on the dot.”

“Oh yeah,” Alix said, hands out in case Tom needed help with the cake. “She’s always on time.”

“Annoyingly so,” Kim agreed, walking out of the kitchen with one arm around Sabine’s shoulders.

Seven minutes left. Where was Marinette? Things were nowhere near close to ready. He still needed to get everyone to hide, they needed to get candles for the cake, and Adrien didn’t know where Nino’s dad or Aunt Priya was.

Adrien ran to his room, trusting Tom to set up the cake. No Marinette in sight. He double-checked. Not by the bed or the rock wall or the couch or even in the bathroom. He raced back to the entrance.

“Marinette!” he called out, anxiety rising in his chest and making it hard to breathe easy. He grabbed Nathaniel’s arm. “Where’s Marinette?”

“Uh, I think she’s over there with Juleka,” Nathaniel gestured with his chin to the far corner of the room, his other hand occupied with a box. “By the way, Marinette told us to put all of Nino’s presents in a pile by the refreshment table. Just thought you should know.”

“Of course,” Adrien cursed to himself, letting Nathaniel go. “I should have thought of that already!”

Marinette was talking to Juleka, looking over something on the laptop in front of them. She looked up and smiled at him as he approached.

“Nino’s getting here in less than five minutes!” Adrien cried, holding his wrist out awkwardly for Marinette to see. “Is everything ready? The cake’s there--what about the music? Agh, are those enough balloons up there? Shit, what about my--”

“Everything’s fine,” Marinette cut him off. “There’s enough balloons up there to exterminate the entire turtle population on earth. The cake’s ready and set up; see, candles and everything. Music’s ready, presents are all set up, and Mr. Agreste is on his way down here. Everyone knows where to hide when I give the signal. Oh, and I found your present. It was under your bed, just like I told you it would be.” Marinette quirked up an eyebrow and grinned at him. “Anything else?”

“You’re amazing,” Adrien pulled her forward and kissed her forehead. “Kim!” He yelled. “Get the camera ready. Gorilla, be ready to open the door for them. Everyone else, positions!”

The room filled with the sound of people scurrying about. Gorilla and Kim positioned themselves by the door, ready to capture Nino’s reaction to his surprise party. Juleka, Rose, and Ivan huddled together by the music booth. Tom and Sabine stayed close to the food, in the room, but mostly out of the way. Under the banner which read ‘Happy Birthday, Nino!’ the rest of the class lined up, ready to jump and shout when Nino entered.

Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand, heart thudding quickly in his chest.

“Calm down,” Marinette said. “He’ll love it. You did great.”

There was no time for Adrien to respond. Gorilla opened the door, Kim started recording, and everyone jumped to yell surprise at a completely shocked Nino.

“Surprise!” Adrien yelled alongside everyone else, an excited smile stretched over his mouth. Everyone rushed forward, mobbing around Nino at the doorway.

“What?” Nino laughed, completely awe-struck. He looked at everyone around him, then up at the ceiling of balloons. His eyes wandered to the fully decorated walls, reading the banner out loud. The smile on his face was contagious. “Dudes, you didn’t even have to!”

“Who cares? We did anyway,” Kim grinned wide enough to split his face in half, still recording. “What do you think?”

“I think you guys are the best!” Nino reached over and hugged Kim. He faced Kagami. “Did you know about this?”

“Of course,” Kagami said haughtily. “My job was to keep you occupied, then bring you here at two-thirty.”

“On the dot,” Kim laughed. “You should have seen the way Adrien was running around, trying to keep everything on track.”

“Adrien,” Nino looked around the circle for him. “Dude,” he said emotionally, pulling Adrien in for a hug.

“Were you surprised?” Adrien asked excitedly. “Be honest. Did you think we were going to do anything like this?”

“Totally surprised,” Nino nodded, excited but still in a daze. “No one’s ever thrown me a surprise party before--I didn’t think I’d get much more than the song in class earlier!”

“Come inside!” Rose called. “Ivan and I worked super hard on the decorations. You’ll never see it all if we’re stuck by the door!”

Kim finally stopped recording, and Nino spotted his aunts.

“Sabaa Phuppo, Priya Phuppo!” he called out excitedly. “You guys knew, too?”

“Of course we did,” Sabaa pulled him into a hug before handing him off to her wife. “I think we were the first ones invited!”

“More like the last,” Helene muttered by Adrien’s side. Adrien looked down at her questioningly. Helene puffed up, proud to have an older kid pay attention to her. “Kagami told me about it a few days ago. I was the one who told Sabaa Phuppo and Priya Phuppo. I was also the one that invited Baba.”

“What about Mrs. Lahiffe?” Adrien asked. “Is she coming later, with your dad?”

Helene looked to the side for a moment, obviously a little uncomfortable. She squared her shoulder, though, and spoke as quickly and confidently as she usually did. “Mama wouldn’t have come. She doesn’t like them. Mama isn’t a bad person, she doesn’t like that Priya Phuppo married a woman, but she’s Baba’s sister. It’s not like she can be rude or anything, so she tries not to go to events where they’ll be there.” Helene paused, a troubled arch in her eyebrow. She must have thought of something else because then she smiled proudly. “It’s a good thing you told me to tell my family because if someone told Mama that Sabaa Phuppo and Priya Phuppo were here, she wouldn’t have let Chris or me come.” She puffed her chest out, waiting for Adrien to compliment her on her excellent foresight.

“Thanks,” Adrien smiled politely down at her. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you.”

“I know,” Helene grinned. “That’s because I’m really mature and reliable. You can ask any of my teachers.”

“Helene,” Kagami stepped up to Helene’s other side. “Hand me your present for Nino. I’ll put it next to mine with the rest.”

“No, that’s alright. I’ll go with you!” Helene beamed, bouncing after Kagami. Adrien filled a cup with punch and went to give it to Nino. He was interrupted by Kim, who took the glass from his hand and passed it onto Nino’s little brother, Chris.

“So what do you like to do, little buddy?”

“I like dinosaurs!”

“I’m not too sure where to get one of those,” Kim admitted. “You have any ideas?”

“You guys are so dumb,” Chris laughed, holding hands with Nathaniel and Alix. “Dinosaurs are all dead. We have to get toys!”

“Or we could try drawing them,” Nathaniel offered. “Let’s go play a game. It can be a competition to see who’s the best at drawing dinosaurs. Who do you think would win?”

“Me!” Chris shrieked excitedly. “I’m the best at drawing dinosaurs!”

“You’re on, kid,” Alix challenged. “Let’s go get some paper.”

They moved on, and Adrien turned around to get more punch. He found Nino in the middle of an intense discussion with Chloe and Alya.

“I should have gotten here earlier,” Alya was lamenting, studying the walls. “There’s too much green, not enough orange. I would have added some pink in, too.”

“Not a bright pink, though,” Chloe mused. “Lighter, like a salmon.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to say!” Alya said excitedly. “The gold, orange, coral color scheme is my favorite right now!”

“I don’t know,” Nino said, looking up at the ceiling of balloons. “I like it as it is right now.” Both the girls ignored him. Adrien stepped up next to him and handed him the glass of punch.

“That’s because it’s gorgeous if done right. Of course you’d like it.” Chloe responded to Alya. She paused and side-eyed Nino. “What exactly did you wear, by the way?” she scrunched her nose up as she took in Nino’s blue shirt with blue jeans. “Too much blue.”

“You should try to wear more fitted pants,” Alya advised. “Black jeans, it would fit your whole aesthetic, too.”

“And switch up your shirts,” Chloe said. “Even a graphic T-shirt would be better than all the plain or band shirts you wear.”

“The band shirts are iconic,” Adrien argued.

“They get boring.” Chloe shook her head. “Look, this one’s so worn you can’t even see what band it was for. It looks lazy and dirty!”

“Why do I even hang out with you guys,” Nino groused. “Minus you, Adri-cat. You’re a real bro.”

“You know, I don’t actually like that nickname.”

“Listen, it’s for your own good,” Chloe told Nino. She leaned in and sniffed. She kept her face neutral but emphatically followed up her first statement: “You also need cologne. We should all go shopping this weekend. Alya and I can help you.”

“Why?” Nino asked. “I like the way I look. I don’t need anything new, and I don’t need cologne.”

“You definitely do,” Alya said. “Kagami would like it, at least.”

“Umm, but why?” Nino asked, starting to look like he might actually heed their advice. Adrien jumped in:

“You’ve got to smell as good as you look, man,” he said. “She’ll appreciate it, I swear. Soon she’ll want to get closer, and you’ll feel good because of your awesome new cologne and Bam! Dating.”

“Dude, I’m not taking dating advice from the guy who’s been failing at flirting with the same girl for eight months with no dice,” Nino said flatly.

“Ouch,” Adrien rubbed his chest. “Low blow.”

“We could fix you, too,” Alya mused, standing next to Chloe and looking over Adrien. She nudged Chloe in the side. “What do you think?”

“You need to get rid of all the button-down shirts in your closet,” Chloe said immediately. “You look like a dork, and Marinette hates them.”

“You completely made that up,” Adrien rolled his eyes. “You’ve been saying that for two years; you just hate my button-downs.”

“Because they’re horrible,” Chloe shot back. “Just throw them away!”

“Try dressing down a little,” Alya said thoughtfully. “A nice pair of casual joggers would make your butt look good. Trust me, Marinette would notice. She’s into clothes and stuff like that, and she’s always staring at you. Pair it with a fitted T-shirt. A simple but effective outfit.” Alya turned to Chloe. “Thoughts?”

“None,” Chloe said, smiling into Alya’s eyes. “You’re perfect. I mean, your advice was. That was perfect.”

“Get a room,” Nino laughed, allowing himself to get pulled into a conversation with his aunts. Again, Alya and Chloe ignored him and turned to Adrien.

“I’ve got to go,” he said quickly. “Go tell Mylene you hate her dress or something.” Adrien shot off, ready to be anywhere but with them.

He turned on his heels and headed towards where he thought Marinette would be. He was stopped on his way, bumping into thin air.

“Hey!” Sabrina’s voice huffed. “Watch where you’re going!”

“I was,” Adrien said, getting over his shock. “It’s just...you’re invisible.”

“That’s incredibly insensitive,” Sabrina said. “You don’t just say that to someone.”

“I don’t, just to you. You’re the only invisible person I know.” Adrien wished he could see Sabrina’s face. He should’ve felt bad about bothering her so much, but he’d never liked her. It was hard conjuring up any feeling of guilt.

Nathaniel and Juleka wandered over. They were probably trying to get to the refreshment table. They were so immersed in conversation with each other, they didn’t notice Adrien talking to thin air. Adrien tried to call out for them to watch out, but Sabrina chastised him again, and Adrien decided he wouldn’t mind Sabrina getting run over again.

“At first, I wasn’t too happy with it,” Nathaniel was showing Juleka something on his phone. “But then I realized the color was the problem. So I changed the orange to--Ahh!” Nathaniel jumped as he hit Sabrina. He froze for a moment, eyes wide and hands frozen in place. Something thumped on the ground, and Sabrina complained about the bruise she was sure to get. Adrien exchanged glances with Juleka and shook his head; he wasn’t even sure who’d invited her. Adrien certainly hadn’t. Upon hearing Sabrina’s criticisms, Nathaniel scoffed and put his hands on his hips.

“Sabrina! You nearly scared the gay out of me!” He felt around the air, grabbing her and picking her up. “Where the heck is your bell!”

“I threw it away. I hate that thing!” Sabrina cried. “I’m not some sort of animal. I don’t like wearing it.”

“Too bad! You keep popping up out of nowhere and ruining my day. Either wear the designer bell I got you, or get out of everyone’s way.”

“It’s not my fault you guys don’t watch where you’re going!”

“What are we supposed to watch for?” Nathaniel shot back. “The shimmery haze of your aura?”

Juleka silently crept back, and Adrien followed her.

“No, but it’s not that hard to know I’m here. Nothing I hold turns invisible. What, did you think cupcakes could just magically float now?”

“Yeah, actually, some of them can. Remember the Akuma from a few weeks ago? Volunteers are still fishing all sorts of food out of the sky. Including cupcakes!”

Adrien was far enough away that he could turn his back without feeling rude and reviewed the ‘During Party’ checklist. Right, it was time to make sure there were enough refreshments and then go around and ask if everyone was having a good time. He set off to complete his mission, going out of his way to stay away from Chloe, Alya, and Nathaniel.

Juleka spotted Rose in the corner by the music station she’d set up and went to join her. She’d been struck speechless when Adrien had dumped all the sound equipment in front of her that morning. He didn’t know how to set any of it up, told Marinette to do it, then ran off. Juleka wasn’t even sure if he’d noticed she was there. Marinette did, though. She’d asked her to take care of it when she had the time and to feel free to take it after the party was over. When Juleka asked if she was sure it was alright, Marinette had given her a look and told her not to worry about it. Adrien wasn’t going to use it, and it would probably sit around collecting dust in this house. Marinette said Juleka could probably use it for her ASMR channel or something.

Juleka hadn’t had any words to thank Marinette. They weren’t close or anything, so Juleka didn’t even feel comfortable hugging her. The only thing she could think of was to play some of Marinette’s favorite songs later in the party. Now was probably a good time to do that, actually.

“Hey, Juleka!” Rose greeted, jumping a little and waving her hand a little too much for the occasion. “I’ve been waiting for you. It got so boring after you left--what did Nathaniel even need you for? You guys were gone forever!”

Nathaniel had introduced Juleka to a book series when they were kids. It was about children of different demons having to complete various missions and fixing the political problems of heaven. Nathaniel liked to draw fanart for the series, and he usually paired it with the fanfictions Juleka wrote.

“He was showing me some art he’s been working on,” Juleka mumbled, glancing at the door. She scooted closer to Rose, taking the spot closest to the corner.

“That’s so cool,” Rose leaned on the table with the sound equipment. She tugged on a strand of hair by her ear. “Why did he have to pull you away, though? I want to see, too. ”

Nathaniel liked to post his art online, and he enjoyed showing his creations to people he trusted. He didn’t know Rose very well, so he wasn't comfortable enough to show her that part of himself. Juleka wasn’t sure how to say all that to Rose. “He doesn’t show a lot of people. He’s shy,” Juleka smiled slightly. Nathaniel hadn’t just pulled her away to show her his art. He was having a mid-party crisis over Kim.

“You didn’t see him, Juleka!” Nathaniel had quietly wailed. “He scooped Chris up in his arms--scoop! He’s so good with kids; I can’t deal with this. Why is he such an amazing guy?! Like, my heart can’t take it, Juleka. I can’t be around him for more than half an hour without a break, or I might literally die. Stop laughing!”

Juleka knew Nathaniel better than she knew herself. It wasn’t easy for him to open up to people. It made him lonely, though he’d never admitted it before. It was nice to see him care so much about someone that it made him flustered. She couldn’t wait until the butterflies died down for him, and he could comfortably sit with Kim and show him his art or talk about anything. Until then, she’d be more than happy to watch all his meltdowns and hear all about how Kim was too amazing.

Something caught Rose’s attention. She turned her head, waving her arm to catch someone’s attention. Juleka had a good idea of who it was.

Ivan came over, eating a small slice of cake.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

“You got cake?” Rose asked. “Is it good?”

“So good,” he took another bite. “It’s cinnamon-vanilla. Want some?”

“Sure. Ahhh!” Rose opened her mouth and waited. Ivan raised an eyebrow but awkwardly put a spoonful of cake in her mouth. “Yum!” Rose’s eyes popped. “I didn’t think it would be this good.”

“It’s Nino’s favorite,” Ivan said. “Mr. Dupain makes it for him every year, and I swear it just gets better and better. This is the first party my mom doesn’t know about. She usually stops me after one slice, but I’m already on my third.”

“Go get a fourth,” Juleka mumbled, fiddling with her hair. Ivan’s mom sounded like such a witch. If Juleka ever met her, she’d get Nathaniel to yell at her.

“I actually might,” Ivan grinned. “You want some?” Juleka didn’t get to reply before Ivan confidently shoved the spoonful of cake in her mouth. That was unexpected, but ok. She knew what it would taste like; she’d been to all of Nino’s birthday parties since primary school. An explosion of vanilla with a ribbon of sweet cinnamon burst on her tongue. The frosting tasted a little tart, almost like raspberry. Mr. Dupain outdid himself this year.

“Delicious.” Juleka grinned. “I should take some home for Lucas and Luka.”

“You’re feeling chatty today,” Rose noted, a grin on her face. “Did something good happen?”

Juleka nodded, playing with the purple ends of her hair. “Lucas took me to the beach. We got some seashells and then made a video together. It was a lot of fun.”

“Good,” Ivan smiled. “You deserve it.”

“Just make sure he always deserves you,” Rose said seriously. Her mouth tilted down, and her voice sounded deeper than usual. It was hard to take her seriously, but Juleka tried her best not to smile. “If he ever does something to hurt you, you just give me the word, and I’ll make sure he wishes he was never born!”

Ivan had a lot less self-control than Juleka. He burst out laughing. Cake flew out of his mouth and onto Juleka’s cheek.

“Ew,” she muttered, wiping it away. No one heard her. Ivan’s laughter was louder than her speaking voice. Loud laughter. Loudter. Haha.

“What?” Rose demanded. “What’s so funny?”

“Juleka’s laughing, too. Believe me,” Ivan managed, putting his plate of cake down. Juleka grabbed it. She didn’t like it sitting with the rest of such expensive equipment.

“About what?” Rose pouted. “I was being serious!”

“I’m sure you were, but it was just super funny.” He finally calmed down and reached for his plate. “Hey, where’d my cake go?”

“I’m holding it hostage,” Juleka murmured. “The ransom is two more pieces of cake.”

“I would’ve brought you guys cake if you wanted,” Ivan muttered, turning to the refreshment table. “You didn’t have to--oh,” he stopped walking. Juleka followed his line of sight. Adrien was waving his clipboard and pulling his hair in front of a nearly empty bowl of punch. Marinette stood in front of him, casually eating a sandwich and letting him go on. They were so cute. Usually, Juleka couldn’t care less about the couples in the class, but it was different with them. They were so loud and such active members of the class; it was impossible not to have an opinion about them.

There were two other people Juleka cared about getting together. She glanced at Rose and Ivan, both of who were watching Adrien’s freakout with too much amusement for how close the poor guy was to tears. Juleka knew Ivan was over Mylene. He hadn’t talked about missing her in a while, and she swore she’d seen him writing a song for Rose. It was only a matter of time before he made his move.

Rose laughed, leaning against Ivan’s side and touched his forearm. Juleka smiled, getting to work on starting the first song of the party. Whenever Ivan felt ready to ask her out, she was sure Rose would say yes.

Marinette took another bite of her sandwich, watching Adrien with curiosity. He was usually so calm, almost aloof. He always had that carefree grin on his face, always breezed through life like nothing could go wrong in front of his beautiful face. This side of him was new--and completely adorable.

A soft, twinkling melody started playing around the room. She looked over at Juleka and raised her sandwich in a salute of appreciation. Marinette hummed along with the song, waiting for the music to pick up and the words to start.

“How are you so calm right now?” Adrien threw his clipboard to the ground and rubbed the sides of his face with his palms. “Oh, this is a disaster,” he said to himself. Marinette finished the last bite of her sandwich, allowing herself a moment of pleasure as she watched Adrien internally curl up in a ball and hyperventilate.

“Alright, I’m done,” she announced when she swallowed. “First off, stop this.” She pulled Adrien’s hands down from his face. “You’ll get wrinkles on your pretty face. Second, I already sent my parents to the kitchen to make more sandwiches and punch. Kim and Alix went to help them. Why do you think Nathaniel’s in here? And look, your dad’s over there hanging out with Chris. Everything’s fine, so pick up your clipboard, let me fix your hair, and calm down.”

“My dad’s taking care of Chris?” Adrien said, surprised. He turned, straining his neck a little to look for them. Marinette patted his arm to get his attention, pointing in the right direction. Mr. Agreste was in the middle of the entrance with Chris, playing something like charades. It must have been fun because Alix, Aunt Priya, and Max gathered around to play with them.

“Yeah, it was a little weird for me at first, too,” Marinette said, laughing lightly at the look on Adrien’s face. “But you know, he did help raise you. He must be good with kids, right?”

“Yeah,” Adrien smiled, a wistful look on his face as he continued watching his dad play with Chris. “He was the best dad when I was a kid. He’d always make time to play ball with me or something. If I ever made a mess, he’d get Nathalie to take care of me while he cleaned it so Mother wouldn’t get upset. He was always laughing and had a new game idea. He was the best.”

“No need to put it in past tense,” Marinette gave him a one-armed hug. “He’s a work in progress, for sure, but he’s still the best. Well, second-best. No one can beat my dad.”

Adrien shrugged. “I would argue, but you’re right.”

“I’m glad you like the party, Mr. Lahiffe,” Adrien smiled politely as he spoke with Nino’s father. “Again, if you’re hungry or thirsty, the refreshment table is over there. Please, feel free to have as much as you like before you have to go to work.”

“You’re such a well-mannered young man,” Mr. Lahiffe laughed and patted Adrien’s head fondly. “I’m so relieved Nino has a friend like you. His other friends are fine, but at least I can rest easy knowing he has one role-model in his friend group.”

“Oh, thank you,” Adrien laughed politely. He reached to his left and pulled over the first person he made contact with. “Have you met uh...Sabrina? She’s invisible, but you can tell where she is by the bell.” Adrien couldn’t help himself. He flicked the bell around her neck and suppressed a grin at the angry huff she let out.

“Hello, Mr. Lahiffe,” she greeted reluctantly. “How have you been?”

“Better than you, I suppose,” Mr. Lahiffe chuckled. “Where did you get that bell?”

“Don’t even get me started!” It was too late. She had already gotten started.

Adrien wandered away, trying to find the boy of the day. He eventually found Nino in the doorway to the hallway. Nino was leaning on the door frame, a cup of orange juice in his hands. He was nodding along with Kagami, who seemed to be in the middle of a long rant.

“--and you know, Aries and Leo are naturally drawn to each other. Aries are optimistic, enthusiastic, and determined, which Leos appreciate because we can be stubborn and inflexible. It’s a good dynamic because the determination and optimist work together and help a Leo get over themself and have a good time. Right?”

“Right,” Nino nodded.

“Leos and Aries are both fire signs. So, we like to take action, and we’re both extremely drawn to each other. Leos are self-confident and difficult to resist. Aries are courageous and passionate--you like to take leaps of faith. We have excellent harmony, both in-person and as dictated by our birth. It was written in the stars.”

Adrien looked over at his best bud. Nino listened intently to everything Kagami said, but he didn’t have that look of realization in his eyes, like ‘oh, woah, this girl is saying she likes me and wants to go out with me.’

“You get it, right, Nino?” Adrien pushed. “Do you know what she’s saying?”

“Yup,” Nino nodded. Adrien was one hundred percent positive he did not get it. “Kagami’s been telling me all about our signs, and I’ve been listening. You know, we’re super compatible. It’s super lucky that Marinette got you to come to lunch with us that one day. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have met.”

“I know, right!” Kagami nearly yelled. Adrien jumped and stared at her; she usually spoke so evenly, it was shocking to hear her this loud. “So, what do you think?”

“I think it’s super cool that you’re so interested in star signs. Do Kim next.”

Kagami wilted, and Adrien patted her back in sympathy. He shook his head in disappointment. “Dude. Are you for real right now? She’s a Leo; you’re an Aries...does that help you at all?”

Nino blinked, looking between the two of them in confusion. “So?”

Adrien had to walk away; he was a lost cause. Kagami stayed; all the steam from her lecture on star signs gone. Nino called after him.

“Come on, why are you both so bummed? It’s my birthday. I forbid it!”

Marinette walked over to Mr. Agreste with a piece of cake in one hand, a cup of punch in the other.

“Hey, Mr. Agreste,” she greeted. She pushed the plate of cake towards him.

“Oh, no, thank you.” Mr. Agreste tried to decline gracefully.

“It wasn’t a question,” she said, lifting an eyebrow in amusement. “Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”

“Your parents should have named you bulldozer,” Mr. Agreste said, taking the plate from her. Marinette shrugged.

“I know what I want, and I don’t hide it. Sue me.”

“If memory serves, you want to be a fashion designer,” Mr. Agreste said. “How is that going?”

“Oh, not so great,” Marinette answered smoothly, ignoring the twinge of uncomfortable unease in her chest. The sensation had grown stronger over the past few weeks. Every time someone talked about design, the feeling was back, weighing on her chest like a stone. She felt like a failure. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but it certainly seemed like every choice she’d been making lately had only served to hinder her future. “I don’t have enough money for materials at the moment,” she said neutrally. “And even if I did, I’m a little tight on time, too. Plus, I don’t have any friends in the industry, you know.”

“You have me,” Mr. Agreste said, not meeting her gaze. “Though I’m afraid there’s not much I can do about the time or the money.”

“I have you?” Marinette frowned. “Since when? I’m pretty sure I’ve yelled at you every time we meet. Why would you have my back?”

“Look at us right now,” Mr. Agreste gestured to the space between them and at the cake. “Unless Adrien is involved, we can be cordial. Truthfully, I appreciate your words. I recently had a close friend of mine say almost the same thing you’ve been trying to tell me. She was much harsher, however, and it cut deeper. I appreciate how gentle you were.”

Wow. If Mr. Agreste thought she had been gentle, Marinette didn’t want to know what his friend had told him. And he was even thanking her for berating him. Marinette smiled a little. He might not have been the best dad in the past few years, but he was a good guy.

“Try the cake,” Marinette urged. “You’ll like it. My dad always makes the best vanilla-cinnamon.”

Gabriel obliged. Marinette enjoyed seeing the surprised widening of his eyes and how he took another few bites before pausing to speak again.

“This is excellent,” Gabriel praised. “Your father made this?”

“Yeah. He’s the best,” Marinette boasted. “Back when we had our bakery, he would be working morning till night, and even then, we still ran out of stock sometimes. He loved it.”

Mr. Agreste’s face dropped. “Ah.” His tone flattened. “Before the Akuma destroyed your home.”

“Yes. But we’re doing good now. Adrien promoted our out-of-house baking business, so we’re making almost as much as before. We’re saving up to buy an actual bakery in the middle of the city again, where foot traffic is better.”

“I would be honored if you allowed me to help pay that off,” Mr. Agreste straightened, looking Marinette straight in the eyes. Marinette took a careful sip of her punch, studying him. The lack of smile on his face and the serious glint in his eyes suggested his sincerity. The lines under his eyes and the way he swallowed suggested he was offering the money out of more than just kindness. There was some motive for himself in this. She just didn’t know what.

A thought sparked in the back of her mind. The last time she’d spoken to Mr. Agreste, he’d been so guilty about the destruction of her home and how he was offering to help her family pay for a new bakery in Paris. He had to know this wasn’t cheap. Marinette kept up with the news about different fashion companies. She knew Agreste wasn’t doing very well, financially or critically. Mr. Agreste wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for a new bakery. He’d have to be an idiot if he didn’t know that. Why would he offer? Why was he so guilty?

“Why?” Marinette asked, not one to beat around the bush. She observed him. His eyes clouded over, and he broke eye contact with her. “You didn’t do anything to us,” she pressed. “You don’t owe us. Why are you so guilty?”

“I do not feel guilty,” Mr. Agreste denied, clearing his throat. He looked out at the entire room. “I always feel sad when I hear news of someone losing their home due to an attack. It is not solely you and your family.”

“If that were true, you would have started a charity,” Marinette argued. “You had enough money at the start of the attacks to set one up. That’s what rich people do when they feel strongly for a cause. You didn’t do that. You’re here, talking to me about my old home, the one destroyed by an attack,” he flinched, and Marinette tucked that in the back of her mind. This was not normal. He should not feel so confronted by this. “And you’re offering to help us buy a new bakery in the middle of Paris. You can’t afford that. Why offer?”

Gabriel didn’t even pretend like he was going to answer. He turned to the right and greeted his incoming son.

“Adrien! What a lovely party you’ve set up!”

Marinette pursed her lips. She had her suspicions on why Mr. Agreste was so weird about the attacks, but she didn’t want to talk to Adrien about it until it was confirmed. She’d just got him talking to his dad. She didn’t want to undo all that work by planting unfounded seeds of doubt in his head.

“Yeah, I’m super proud of him,” Marinette smiled up at Adrien, pulling him into a side hug. Adrien huffed, clearly bothered by something. Marinette exchanged glances with Gabriel. He raised an eyebrow, asking whether she knew what the problem was. She shook her head and shrugged; she had no idea. “What’s wrong?”

“You’ll never believe what I was just a part of,” Adrien groused. “Kagami was talking to Nino about star signs and--”

Nathalie click-clacked into the conversation, cutting Adrien off. She didn’t bother acknowledging either Adrien or Marinette. She passed a box to Mr. Agreste.

“It’s a signed Jagged Stone poster and official sweatshirt. Jagged Stone is his favorite band. I recommend you hand it to him personally, so he remembers it came from you. It was quite hard to track down on such short notice.”

“Thank you, Nathalie,” Mr. Agreste said, but Nathalie was already walking away. At Marinette’s side, Adrien was staring at his dad.

“Right, I forgot. You’re oblivious, too. It would be useless to talk to you about this.” He looked down at Marinette and pouted. “You’re no better, either. I’ve been flirting with you for months, and you still think it’s a joke! No, I need someone else, someone emotionally mature. Where’s Ivan?”

He didn’t wait for a response. Adrien spun on his heels and was off before Marinette could open her mouth. She turned to Mr. Agreste.

“So, what happened after Kagami was talking about star signs?”

“I didn’t hear anything past you thinking my son flirting with you was a joke.” Mr. Agreste raised his brows and looked at her through his glasses. For the first time since she’d met him, he gave off a distinctly ‘disapproving dad’ vibe. While she commended him on finally acting like a parent, it directed it towards the wrong child.

“It’s not like I thought he was joking the whole time,” she said, sipping more punch. “After a while, I realized he was serious, but I liked someone else, and it was easier to act like he was joking.”

“You? Not saying something because it would be easier?” Mr. Agreste shot her a loot. “That doesn’t seem very like you.”

Marinette’s cheeks heated. Of all the adults to have this conversation with, it had to be Adrien’s dad? The universe must hate her. “Well, it’s complicated,” she said, trying to cut the conversation off. Mr. Agreste wasn’t having it.

“I have time. And a brain. I’m sure I could comprehend.”

For a man who could ignore his son entirely for two years, he sure was nosy.

“I liked someone else, but every time I thought of telling Adrien I didn’t like him like that, I couldn’t. It would be a lie to say I didn’t like him, but I also liked the other guy. In the end, it was easier to stay quiet about it to both of them.” Ugly conflicted feelings once again rose in Marinette’s gut. She’d decided on giving up on Cat Noir and devote all her feelings towards Adrien, but when she saw or thought about Cat Noir, the emotions still lingered. Months of feelings didn’t disappear overnight, no matter how much she wished they would.

“You say it’s complicated. Let’s simplify it, then. You’ve stayed silent about your feelings to both of them. In all this time, with whom have you spent the most time? For whom do you feel a deeper connection? Who do you honestly see yourself being able to date? ”

The scary part was, Marinette didn’t even have to think about it. In response to each of Mr. Agreste’s questions, the image of his goblin son popped into Marinette’s head before conscious thought. “Before I answer, I just want you to know how weird it feels to be having this conversation with you.”

“Duly noted.” Gabriel nodded, lips quirking into a grin Marinette had seen on Adrien’s face hundreds of times.

“Alright. Then, the answer is simple. Adrien.” Mr. Agreste’s grin morphed into a pleased smile, but Marinette couldn’t let him walk away without the whole truth. “But I would feel bad asking him out when I still have feelings for C--the other guy.”

Mr. Agreste nodded, his amiable mood not affected at all. “A perfectly reasonable response.”

Thankfully that was the end of it. Marinette downed her punch and walked off.

“He’s just so clueless,” Adrien complained, leaning against the wall. Juleka stood next to him, silently munching on one of the last pieces of cake. Rose spun in the spinning stool Ivan had set up in front of the music station, also listening to his rant. Ivan nodded in understanding, and Adrien continued. “Kagami’s been sending him signs for weeks. She goes over to his house; she drinks orange juice for him--hell, she puts up with his mom for him! She’s head over heels, and it’s so frustrating that he doesn’t see it at all!”

“She also talks about the cosmos all the time,” Rose piped up. Adrien didn’t understand what she meant by that, and it must have shown on his face. “Like, she talked about the planets aligning or something before.”

“And today, she brought up star signs,” Ivan added, nodding along with Rose.

“You know, maybe Nino has a point. Do you know if Kagami is into astronomy?”

“I don’t think she is,” Adrien said. “She never talks about it at fencing practice or anything.”

“What does she talk about?” Ivan asked. “I don’t know her very well. What’s she like?”

“She just talks about form and why I keep losing matches against her,” Adrien shrugged. “I’m not too sure. She’s mostly serious all the time. It’s a little hard to get to know her, honestly.”

Rose stopped spinning in the chair and glanced somewhere in the corner of the room. She pointed. “You’re saying that that Kagami is serious all the time?” Adrien, along with Juleka and Ivan, turned to see what Rose was pointing at.

Kagami was dragging Nino across the floor, a determined look on her face. Once in the middle of the room, she turned to Juleka, cupping her hands around her mouth, and yelled:

“Blast something we could dance to!”

Juleka didn’t need to be told twice. She typed on the laptop on the table, and a moment later, a steady beat pulsed across the room. Adrien knew this particular song. It started quiet, and by the end, it went wild. It was a pretty good song to get people ready to dance. Plus, Nino loved the artist.

“I love this song!” Nino exclaimed. Kagami’s head snapped towards him. She was usually pretty soft-spoken, but she spoke with such force that Adrien could hear it half-way across the room.

“Dance with me,” she pulled him close to her and started dancing. It was a little weird because the song was still mostly silent and slow, and Kagami wasn’t a good dancer, but Nino took it in stride and joined her. How courageous and passionate, just like a good Aries.

“Ok, that was pretty surprising,” Adrien said. “But see, this is what I mean! She’s crazy about him, and I just don’t know how Nino hasn’t figured it out!”

“Our class has a ‘one couple getting together at a time’ policy,” Juleka muttered. She was very quiet, but Adrien happened to be close enough to hear her. He started laughing, and Rose took over the joke:

“Yeah,” she giggled. “Lila implemented it. That’s why you and Marinette haven’t happened yet.”

“You’ve got to wait in line for your turn.” Ivan joined in. “Until our supreme overlord class president, Lila, decides you’re worthy to date.”

Adrien couldn’t stop laughing. “Stop!” He gasped. “I’m dead!”

Alix, never one to let a party go on without her, ran to join Kagami and Nino on the makeshift dance floor. She grabbed the person closest to her and jumped headfirst into the most enthusiastic dance Adrien had ever seen. Chloe, who Alya had pulled with her, paused for a moment, then shrugged and followed Alix’s lead. Tom and Sabine were next on the floor, and that loosened up the rest of the crowd. Pretty soon, everyone but Juleka was there, dancing to the blaring music. Adrien even caught a glimpse of his dad dancing with Chris. Somehow Kagami, the last person Adrien ever would have expected to do so, had started an entire dance party.

“You should call Lucas over,” Ivan said to Juleka. “I think he’d have fun here.”

“Ask Luka if he’s free, too!” Rose jumped up. “He can take care of the music while you and Lucas dance!”

Juleka didn’t say anything, but she pulled out her phone and started typing. Adrien felt his heart stop. If Luka and Lucas came, there wouldn’t be enough refreshments for them. He ran off, grabbing Marinette and hauling her to the kitchen to help him make more snacks for them when they arrived.

The party lasted until early the next morning, which was surprising because it had started so early the previous afternoon. Though Adrien was proud of himself, he was also exhausted.

Luka and Lucas had shown up together, a shared gift for Nino in hand. With one glance at the full dance party going on, they’d thrown the present in the corner and taken over the music, calling over more friends. Though Adrien had nearly had a heart attack at the thought of all the extra food that needed to be made and served, Nino had a blast. He always liked meeting new people, and he loved talking to all of Lukas and Luca’s friends.

Kagami had walked away, giving up for the evening. She didn’t leave Alix’s side for the rest of the party, glaring at everyone who came near her. It was unfortunate for her, but Adrien knew she wouldn’t give up so easily.

Juleka and Lucas hung out by the side of the room, but the crowd started overwhelming Juleka. Adrien led them to a guest room, where they stayed for the rest of their time at the party. At some point, Max, Mylene, and a few other introverts joined them, and they had a mini-party where they didn’t talk to each other and stayed on their phones. Juleka and Lucas left soon after the room became occupied. They wished Nino a happy birthday and left, not too comfortable with the crowd. Luka left quickly after them, apparently not comfortable with his little sister and boyfriend potentially going home alone, without him.

Luka and Lucas’s friends kept the party pumping for hours. It was primarily thanks to them that it lasted as long as it did. After Luka, Juleka, and Lucas took their leave, the mass of friends took turns changing the songs and taking trips to different grocery stores for snacks. It was a relief for Adrien, whose kitchen was rapidly running out of supplies.

Mylene and Sabrina had struck up a friendship during the party. They stuck to the sides of the room, chatting happily among themselves. Adrien noticed Mylene glance Ivan’s way multiple times throughout the night, running off to the bathroom in tears when she witnessed Rose gather her courage and pull Ivan in for a kiss. It had been around eleven at that point. It was also around this time that someone spiked the punch. No one noticed until near the end of the party.

Mr. Lahiffe left with Chris and Helene sometime soon before Mylene splashed cola in Rose’s hair. It was a good thing they left. Rose had shrieked something about her dress, and the next thing everyone knew, Mylene and Rose were rolling on the floor. Chloe would later report that Rose literally flew through the air to tackle Mylene. Alya said Mylene tried to run away, but Rose’s leap caught her, and Mylene landed belly down on the ground, and that was why she had the bruise on the bottom of her chin.

Rose and Mylene’s fight lasted a minute, tops, but Rose used every second of that minute to the fullest.

“Do you know how hard it was to get this dress? I worked my ass off for years to get it, and now it’s ruined!” Rose pulled on Mylene’s hair.

Mylene’s face screwed up in pain, and she forced herself to roll onto her back. Rose lost hold of her hair, and Mylene slammed her head into Rose’s forehead. “You looked ugly in it anyway!”

Rose screeched in fury, and Mylene bucked her off, once again trying to run away. Rose chased, grabbing Mylene’s arm and spinning her around. She slapped Mylene in the face, and Mylene froze. Rose didn’t. She hit her again, and that was when Mylene unfroze. She reached forward and grabbed Rose’s hair with both hands, pulling to the side. Rose reciprocated, wrenching on Mylene’s dreads. Both girls screamed, locked in a tie.

At that point, Marinette had been by Adrien’s side. He heard her curse under her breath and went to break the two of them apart. Adrien had weakly protested. The fight was glorious, the highlight of the night. Luckily for him, Marinette wasn’t an expert at de-escalating conflicts.

“Cut it out,” Marinette squeezed Mylene’s arms. She cried out, letting go immediately.

“She’s still pulling!” Mylene wailed. “Let go of me, you lunatic!”

“I’m the lunatic?” Rose fumed, pulling harder at Mylene’s hair. “You came up out of nowhere and dumped your shitty drink all over me!” Marinette covered Rose’s hands and forced her off.

“Rose, let go!”

“She’s just mad that Ivan likes me now!” Rose yelled around Marinette, who stood between the two of them.

“He doesn’t like you!” Mylene denied. Marinette pushed her in the middle of her chest, forcing her back a step. Mylene didn’t seem to care very much. “And I didn’t dump it on you. It was an accident!”

“Cut the BS, you’re jealous, and you ruined my dress!” Rose tried to rush Mylene again, but Marinette pushed her back.

“Stop!” Marinette shouted out. “Yell all you want, but you can’t get in a physical fight. One of you will get blood on the ground, and Adrien will have a panic attack.”

“Of course, you don’t even care about the two of us,” Mylene turned her focus on Marinette. She bared her teeth. “You’re just like every other selfish Chinese person on the planet--”

“You better watch what you’re about to--”

“--you’re rude and hypocritical and always take the easy way out! The sight of you disgusts me!” Then Mylene spat at Marinette’s face, and Marinette reacted. One second, Mylene was spitting at Marinette, and the next, she was on the ground a few feet away, clutching her face. Marinette stood with her fist out like she’s just thrown a punch. She didn’t end it there.

“What the fuck did you just say, you little bitch?!” She stalked up to Mylene, ignoring the crowd of people in a circle around them.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Adrien wasn’t sure who started the chant, but he did join in. Mylene stood up, red-faced and tears streaming down her face.

“You hit me!”

“You spat on me!”

“I’m calling the police!”

“Go right ahead, you moron! Spitting on someone is assault, too!”

Rose tried to stand by Marinette, but Adrien jumped forward and grabbed her shoulders. He paused his chanting to speak with Rose.

“I’d stay out of it if I were you.”

“She needs help!” Rose argued. “She got spit on because of my fight; I have her back!”

“Believe me. She does not need help.”

The crowd roared, and Adrien turned to see what was going on. Mylene must have tried to rush Marinette because now Marinette had her arm twisted behind Mylene’s back.

“Apologize!” Marinette demanded. “Say you’re sorry right now!”

“Why should I?” Mylene yelled back. “Everything I said is right, and you’re proving it right now. You’re--!”

Marinette had enough. She pushed Mylene away, drew her arm back, and snapped a quick one-two jab combination. Mylene fell like a sack of flour. The crowd cheered.

Marinette rolled her shoulders and went to Adrien’s side. The curve of her lips and glint in her eyes told everyone looking her way how proud of herself she was.

“You’ll be happy to note that there’s not one drop of blood on the ground.”

“I’m proud of you,” Adrien said. “But what exactly are we supposed to do about her?” Adrien, Marinette, and Rose turned to look at the prone figure of Mylene on the ground. Like Marinette boasted, no blood stained the floor.

“I know her French dad. I can take her,” one of Luka’s friends popped out of the crowd and joined their conversation. “I should be getting home anyway. I have a class pretty early tomorrow.”

“What are you going to say about her face?” Rose asked.

“Not sure yet,” the girl shrugged. “I’ll come up with something, though. Don’t worry. I promise I won’t say anything about the fight. I’ve known Mylene for years. Man, it felt nice to see someone smack her around a bit.”

The girl grinned at the three of them and then grabbed Mylene before any of them could respond. Gorilla helped her to the door and closed it behind them. The party continued as though nothing was amiss.

Nathaniel and Kim ran into Nathalie at some point in the night and asked her for any games in the house. She’d gone off for a bit, coming back to invite those interested to the makeshift game room she had set up. Adrien, Marinette, Kim, Nathaniel, Nino, Kagami, and about five of Lucas and Luka’s friends followed Nathalie enthusiastically. She’d chosen one of the larger drawing rooms, which already had a billiard table set up in it. She’d connected the game console from Adrien’s room to the TV there instead. Stacked high on the table in the middle of the room were four or five board games. Adrien spent the rest of the party in that room, yelling and laughing alongside his favorite people until his voice was hoarse.

One by one, the guests left, and finally, it was just Marinette left. Even her parents had left by that point, and she only stayed to help Gorilla and Adrien clean up the mess from the party.

Gabriel told Gorilla (though he’d called him Mr. Glasson, which was weird) to take a guest room for the night. Then he’d walked Marinette to the door with Adrien, making sure she got into the pedicab he’d called for her.

Marinette’s arm wrapped around Adrien’s waist. “The party was great. I’m proud of you.”

“It wouldn’t have been anything without you,” Adrien said, tingling wherever she pressed up against him. It killed him that she could be so affectionate and not seem bothered by it in the slightest when Adrien felt four seconds away from spontaneously combusting. “Thanks for coming.”

Marinette snorted. “I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Sign me up for anything if I get to see you that flustered and adorable again.” Marinette pulled Adrien down, kissing him on the cheek before waving tiredly at his dad. “See you later, Mr. Agreste.”

“You can call me Gabriel,” his dad said, smiling too widely for a simple farewell. Adrien shot him a sideways look. What was up with him? “Be careful on your way home. Contact Adrien when you get home so that we know you arrive safely.

Marinette laughed. “I don’t think you need to worry about me getting home safely, but sure. See you on Monday, Adrien.” She turned and left, stepping up into the pedicab. Adrien closed the door and turned to his dad.

“What was that?” he asked suspiciously. “You have a weird smile on your face, and it’s making me feel weird. Stop it.”

Gabriel ignored his concerns. “You have her number, correct?”

“Yeah, why?”

“So you can ask her on a date, of course.”

“Dad, I never want to talk to you about this. Ever.”

“Why not? I might have some knowledge you lack. As you kids say these days, I’m in the know.”

“I’m going to bed.” Adrien decided. “You’re tired. Please be normal when you wake up.”

“Remember to feed Plagg before you go to sleep!” Gabriel reminded him, and Adrien agreed.

They each went their own way, clearly exhausted. Adrien had been awake for close to twenty-four hours at this point. He couldn’t wait to take a relaxing shower and fall into bed.

He shut the door to his room, immediately shedding his shirt and pants. Plagg followed him around, nagging him about food.

“You’re not even a cat. You don’t need food.” Adrien grumbled. “Leave me alone. I’m so tired.”

 _“Gabriel says that I’m a living creature, and I deserve respect,”_ Plagg huffed, pawing at Adrien’s calves as he climbed into the shower. _“Respect includes cleaning my litter box and feeding me every day.”_

“You used the litter box?” Adrien asked. “But you don’t...nevermind. I’ll clean it tomorrow.”

Adrien took the shortest shower in his entire modeling career. The water barely brushed over his body before he was closing the taps and getting out.

 _“Wow, you really must be exhausted,”_ Plagg noted. _“Now feed me before you go to sleep.”_ Adrien ignored him, scooping him into his arms. Plagg squirmed, but Adrien wouldn’t let him go. _“Gabriel said I deserve respect!”_

“Dad also said you were a cat. He’s not to be believed.” Adrien fell into bed, groaning as his muscles finally got to relax. He put Plagg on his chest and stroked along his back. “Good-night, Plagg.”

 _“I wouldn’t count on it,”_ Plagg said, almost sounding sorry.

“What do you--”

Adrien was interrupted by the blaring ring of sirens in the air. He froze. Was Pisces serious? At three in the morning? Didn’t they have a life?

 _“I guess you can stay in bed,”_ Plagg licked his paw and ran it over his face. _“I’m sure Ladybug could handle this by herself.”_

“Shut up, Plagg.” Adrien groaned as he rolled out of bed. “Claws out!”

In a flash, the layer of cold magic washed over Adrien, and he slipped out of his house. It was times like this that he truly hated being Cat Noir. At first, it had been fun, to feel useful and free. Now, his life as a civilian was finally going great. He had friends, school, and his dad paid attention to him again. Being Cat Noir only took away from that. It added a responsibility on his head, which suffocated him and made it hard to sleep at night--literally.

He pushed himself through the streets, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness around him. At one time, Paris had been the City of Lights. Since the attacks started, people didn’t like leaving unnecessary lights on. One too many fires had started that way. Paris stayed dark at night, except for pockets of visibility around restaurants or bars.

The ears on top of Adrien’s head twitched as he passed by one of the siren speakers. A sharp pain pierced his head, and he cursed. For the first few months, he thought the ears were pure decoration. He was wrong. The cat ears picked up on sounds better than his human ones. Sometimes it was nice to be able to eavesdrop on others, but when he was too close to a loud sound, his ears rang and his head throbbed in pain.

It wasn’t hard to track down the Makara. Even in the near pure-black night, the toxic purple smoke surrounding it was visible. It was almost like a beacon, yelling at him to hurry up and get there.

There were no police nearby. They had created a base-camp a few blocks away from the Makara, but when Adrien pressed them to come closer, all of them refused. In the near-freezing night air, some were sweating, others trembled. Adrien finally had to accept that they were too terrified to be of any help.

By the time Adrien arrived at the scene of the Makara, Ladybug was already engaging with it. Her yo-yo wrapped around its serpentine neck and tied it to one of its front legs. Its large horns jutted towards the sky, taller than any of the buildings in the area. It screamed and thrashed, its tail slapping the ground and creating the biggest hole Adrien had ever seen.

(The Ladyblog would later report that it was the largest crater caused by a single Makara to date.)

Adrien pushed himself forward, aiming to land on the Makara’s thin, bony spine. He extended his baton and planted it between two of its vertebrae. The Makara tried to buck him off, the purple mist curling around his legs and drifting up to Adrien’s face. The stench hit him like a punch. His head spun, and his legs gave out on him. As he tumbled over the side, Ladybug called out for him. He tried to catch himself on the Makara’s side, but he missed. Something wrapped around his waist and pulled him away. Ladybug pulled him down to her side, catching him before he crashed into the ground.

The Makara straightened, Ladybug’s yo-yo no longer tying it down. It grunted in annoyance as its long horns tangled in electric wires and jerked its head to free itself. The cables snapped, and electric sparks showered over Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Ladybug glared at the Makara. She threw her yo-yo out, flying up to reach the Makara. She was knocked out of the way before she could make it. An Akuma flew in out of nowhere and rammed into her. The two of them tumbled away, and Adrien winced. Kagami had already had a tough evening. She must have been exhausted. She probably hadn’t had more than a few hours of sleep before the sirens rang.

Adrien broke his staff in two, morphing it into a bow. He pulled back on the magical string. The temperature around him dropped, his breath puffed visibly out of his mouth.

“Cataclysm.”

He loosed the arrow before his trembling could affect his aim too much. His fingers were going numb; his eyelids drooped. He was losing out of much-needed sleep. He could feel his skin drying out and the bags forming under his eyes. Ugh, this was so not what he needed right now.

The arrow, shrouded in a fluctuating cloud of the darkest black, whistled through the air and towards the Makara. Off to the side, the Akuma shrieked and crashed into the Makara’s side. Ladybug jumped into the air just as Adrien’s arrow hit the Makara at the base of one of its horns.

The arrow hit the base of the horn-like an explosion. One horn blew off from the bottom and slammed into the other, knocking that one off towards the ground. One horn dissolved into a fresh breeze, and the Makara turned on Adrien with a furious look in its eyes. It advanced upon him with surprising speed. Adrien would have thought that its tail would have slowed it down. He was wrong.

The Makara ran towards him as fast as it could, knocking entire buildings off their foundations. Adrien broke down his bow and extended his staff, launching himself up in the air. The Makara’s head stretched out to snap at him, purple smoke wrapping around his legs.

The Akuma finally dug itself out of the rubble it had fallen into and flew into the air, throwing itself at the Makara. It was so insignificant that the Makara ignored it. Adrien wasn’t sure what its power was, but it must have been pretty lame.

Adrien tried to swerve to avoid the Makara’s snapping jaws, but it wasn’t letting him go. Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around its neck and pulled him down again. The Makara turned its fury on her. Adrien tried to think of a way to get this done and over with as soon as possible. Then, the fallen horn caught his eye, and an idea formed in his head.

“Plagg, make me as strong as Ladybug!” Adrien dropped down to street-level, keeping an eye out for the Makara. He didn’t want to end the night as a splatter on the side of the street.

“If you’re sure.”

The magic coursed through him. The cold hit him like a truck and took his breath away. His bones ached, a pain deeper and stronger than he’d ever felt before, worse than any other time he’d used his magic. Everything around him dimmed, and it was hard to see, but it didn’t matter. He had to push through everything. He had a job, and the faster he finished this, the sooner he could go home and sleep.

Ladybug flashed with a bright light, probably using her Lucky Charm. Adrien began digging through the rubble covering the massive Makara horn. The Akuma came and tried to help him, but it couldn’t do very much. As nice as it was to have an Akuma which didn’t try to attack them every few seconds, it was annoying that the first helpful Akuma was also completely useless.

Eventually, Adrien gave up on digging it out. Ladybug wouldn’t have wasted her time doing that. She would have just grabbed it and followed through with her plan. So, why didn’t Adrien try that?

(The Ladyblog didn’t have many good shots of the following action. Most of the cameras in that area of the town were destroyed or covered by rubble. There were only a few usable shots, and people rewatched them millions of times. It was hard to see anything, but that didn’t stop everyone from watching.

(In the dark gray of the night, Cat Noir stood out as a solid black silhouette. He drained the light out of everything he touched, cooling it down to the point that he left footprints of frost in his wake. Viewers of the Ladyblog could watch as he lifted the massive Makara horn and extended his baton to position himself over the Makara’s back. Everyone watched as Ladybug, still trying to fight the Makara, was flung off into the broken wall of an old tobacco shop.

(Cat Noir dropped down from his perch on the baton, taking the horn and driving it into the Makara’s back and down into the street.

(The camera’s audio malfunctioned. No one could hear the screech of pain the Makara let out in the video. Citizens of Paris didn’t need the video, though. The cry had been so loud it was audible even in the underground bunkers.

(The Makara flailed on its skewer for a moment, then stilled and dissolved. Cat Noir, still darker than the night, pulled out the second half of his baton and lowered himself to the ground.)

Adrien shivered and winced, unable to move. The slightest shift sent piercing shots of pain through his body. He wished Ladybug would stand next to him. She was steaming.

“This is shit,” Ladybug grumbled, pulling Cat Noir into a hug. She buried her face into his chest, sighing. Hissing steam arose from where their suits met. The sudden heat stung at first, and he tensed, but then it became more comforting and welcoming. Adrien melted into the contact.

“You’re telling me,” Adrien complained. “My gorgeous face is going to be ruined tomorrow. Dry skin, bags under my eyes, and now I’m bruised all over. This sucks.”

“I’m so tired,” Ladybug sighed. “I was just at a party. I just got home, and then the sirens started.”

Right. Kagami had left the party late. She was one of the last ones to go, right before Nino and Marinette.

“So, who’s going to get the butterfly?” Adrien asked tiredly. “I call not it.”

“Not fair,” Ladybug didn’t move to leave. She didn’t need to. The Akuma stepped up to them, a purse in his hands.

“I’m here to be purified,” she said, the area around her eyes a bright red. Ladybug didn’t turn her head. Adrien closed his eyes. It was already here, willing to be de-transformed. There was no rush, no hurry.

Ladybug’s earrings beeped.

Oh, right. There was a reason to hurry.

Ladybug pulled away, sighing. Adrien immediately missed her warmth and pouted. The Akuma looked at them, a silver glint in its eyes.

“You’re hurt,” she said. Her hands started glowing, and Adrien tensed. “Let me help you.”

Ladybug lunged forward, but it was too late. A silvery-white light engulfed the Akuma’s body, and Adrien felt a blast of warm, flowery wind blow at him. It only lasted a second, and then the Akuma’s light dimmed.

The Akuma held out the bag in its hand, smiling kindly at the two of them.

“Simple release.” Adrien coaxed the butterfly out of the bag, and Ladybug purified it, freeing the butterfly into the sky.

The Akuma melted away, leaving behind a middle-aged woman. She fainted immediately, and Ladybug caught her. Adrien’s ring beeped, and he pulled out his baton to go home. Something was weird, though. He paused and looked at Ladybug.

“What did that Akuma do to us?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m not complaining,” she said, pulling the woman, so she draped across her back. “I feel great.” Then Ladybug said goodnight and flew off towards the police camp.

Adrien was too tired to think about it. He just wanted his bed and a few hours of unconscious bliss. He extended his baton and went home, struggling to stay awake the entire time.

The next morning, Adrien woke up and went to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection on his way to the shower. Not a single bruise on his body. Not a single scrape or so much as a dark circle under his eye. The Akuma’s powers of healing had lasting effects. Adrien wasn’t sure why Hawkmoth suddenly had a change of heart and sent a calm, non-obstructive Akuma last night, but, like Ladybug, Adrien wasn’t complaining.


	16. Metamorphosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is changing and someone else already has.

Small sprouts pushed through the freshly thawed grass, promises of flowers enticing everyone who walked the path. Loose stones and pebbles made it hard to walk in heels, but that didn’t stop one determined woman. A few meters behind her lay her bike, and in front of her stood an old cabin. It looked worse on the outside than it actually was.

At first, it had been run down and cold, covered in cobwebs and dust. Pisces had been remodeling it over the months she’d been terrorizing Paris. There was a new heating system in place, and she’s even installed carpet in Emelie’s cell. There was a shower downstairs and a toilet. The top level Emelie couldn’t go was filled with cloth and half-completed designs. Nathalie couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like Pisces was running an online custom clothing website out of the cabin.

Nathalie opened the front door and stepped in, reveling in the reprieve from the chilly air outside. Pisces was nowhere to be seen. Nathalie took the opportunity to tour through the cabin. She couldn’t give any of the designs to Agreste; Pisces would know that she had stolen the designs and would turn her ire against her. No, she didn’t look at the clothes in an attempt to steal them, but rather to spark that passion for fashion she’d once had. She hadn’t started working at Agreste just to be close to Gabriel, though that had contributed. She loved clothes and showing people that a simple change in pants and shoes could instill a whole new sense of confidence they might not have otherwise had.

Pisces, for all her faults, was an amazing designer. It reminded Nathalie of Gabriel’s earlier works, the ones he'd created before Emelie disappeared.

One light blue and black striped dress caught Nathalie’s attention. It was an A-line dress with a top reminiscent of overalls, complete with two sets of pockets. It was simple, cute, yet unique. The quality of the fabric and construction could justify any price point Pisces chose.

“Do you like it?” Pisces trudged up the stairs, new lines stretched under her eyes. Her bones stuck out, cheekbones sharper than before, and shirt hanging off her gaunt frame.

“It’s beautiful,” Nathalie said, turning away from the woman who had murdered her parents and studying the dress again. “Have you sold it yet? It looks like early Agreste designs. Many people would pay a lot of money to have something like this.”

Pisces tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding more like a derisive scoff. “There was no early Agreste.” Pisces crossed the room to her sketchbook and flipped open to the first few pages. She beckoned Nathalie over and showed her the drawings. “You seem like you’re fairly knowledgable about fashion and trends. Do you recognize these?”

Of course she did. This was the entire first collection of Agreste, the first Gabriel created after starting up his company. Nathalie stayed awake for weeks getting the marketing just right, and production started. She knew the entire collection backward and forwards, including when Gabriel had shown her all the designs, out of his mind with excitement.

He’d come to her in May, eighteen years ago. The designs Pisces showed her were dated for nearly twenty years ago. Nathalie believed her; Gabriel didn’t design these, and someone had stolen the designs out from under Pisces’s nose. She knew exactly who’d done it, too. Emelie Agreste.

In the past few days, Nathalie had done some digging. There had to be some reason Agreste was doing so poorly without Emelie’s presence. Gabriel didn’t design anymore; he simply ran the business. Why were his designers not producing the same quality of products as before? The answer was simple: they’d never been the minds behind Agreste; they were just the faces assigned to the designs.

Emelie Agreste had been stealing designs from small designers for years before Nathalie was forced to do so, but she’d been much better about it. Somehow, Emelie knew exactly how much to take from each person and how to keep them silent. She worked in the shadows for years, raising Gabriel on an influential pedestal and bathed in the money and fame she stole from other struggling designers.

“Gabriel Agreste isn’t stealing your designs anymore,” Nathalie said, doing her best not to let her emotions taint her voice. “You’ve made your point; he’s left you alone. Why can’t you stop now? Stop the attacks, let Mrs. Ageste go.”

“I can’t,” Pisces shook her head, closing the notebook.

“Of course you can,” Nathalie stepped closer, cornering Pisces against her work table. “You’ll be locked up, but Paris will be safe. You told me you had family here--don’t you care about them? What if you’ve harmed them? Do you even--”

“Don’t speak to me about my family!” Pisces whirled around, rage and impatience flashing through her eyes. “I’ve destroyed their home, hindered their income! That’s why I can’t stop!”

“You can always stop. The only one stopping you is--”

“You don’t understand! The woman is more than just Gabriel Agreste’s wife. She’s the holder of the Rabbit Miraculous!”

Pisces had spoken about Miraculous before. Nathalie knew the basics; Gabriel told her when the Makara attacks had started, and he’d taken on the persona of Hawkmoth. She knew they were magical jewels, and she knew they gave their holders power. Other than that, she was clueless.

“What do you mean ‘Rabbit Miraculous?’” Nathalie asked. “And why does that stop you from releasing her?”

“This is a Miraculous,” Pisces showed Nathalie the chunky watch on her wrist. “And this is a kwami.” She reached the pocket of her pea coat, pulling out a small fish. It smiled up at Nathalie, waving and introduced itself as Shi-Shi. Nathalie would have been more shocked by the talking animal if she hadn’t lived in Paris for the past two years.

“Hello,” Nathalie greeted tiredly.

“Each kwami gives its user different powers depending on what they represent,” Pisces explained briefly. “I have the kwami of emotion, the fish. Shi-Shi gives me the ability to create Makara. The stronger my emotion as I’m making them, the stronger they will be.”

“Fascinating,” Nathalie hid her churning disgust behind feigned interest. This woman had killed her parents. Now she stood there, calmly lecturing Nathalie about the creature which had directly caused their deaths?

“The Rabbit Miraculous has power over time,” Pisces continued, dropping Shi-Shi back in her pocket. “If the holder chooses to, she could turn back the clock. I first captured Emelie to convince her to go back in time to stop Gabriel Agreste from stealing my designs. I unleashed the first Makara out of frustration, hoping to get a reaction out of her. It didn’t work; I hadn’t accounted for Hawkmoth.

“I thought if I sent one more, she would listen to me. Hawkmoth seemed to give her hope. I thought that if I just defeated Hawkmoth, if I destroyed enough of Paris to get her to see reason, she would turn back time. If she stopped Gabriel Agreste from stealing my design, I wouldn’t have gotten to this point. It kept going and going, and now I’m stuck--we’re stuck. I can’t stop making the Makara. There would be no incentive for her to use her Miraculous. I can’t move on with my own life; Emelie Agreste is sitting in my basement. I can’t let her go; she would have me arrested, my family’s lives would remain ruined, and Paris would still be destroyed--there would be no way to force her to turn back time to fix everything.”

“So, you’re saying Emelie Agreste can fix everything?” Nathalie asked absently. “She could turn back the clock and bring back all the houses, businesses, and people that were destroyed because of the Makara? All she needs to do is stop...Gabriel from stealing your designs?”

The irony was not lost on Nathalie. To fix a problem Emelie had created, all she had to do was go back in time and stop herself. She had no excuse: she had the motive and the means. She only lacked the desire. Nathalie hadn’t spoken to Emelie in years, but she knew Emelie would never acquiesce. She would sit and rot in that cell until the very end. There was no chance she would do anything to destroy the fortune and fame she’d built up for herself.

“It’s so simple,” Pisces pulled her hair, looking up at Nathalie with pained eyes. “Why won’t she agree? Doesn’t it disgust her to live cushioned by dirty money? I told her everything--that all of Agreste’s success is based on her husband’s lies. She didn’t care.”

Nathalie was not surprised by that in the slightest. Gabriel hadn’t done a damn thing; it had all been Emelie. Emelie didn’t care in the slightest about what she’d done in the past.

“She’ll change the past,” Nathalie said, straightening and heading down the stairs. “Her hope will crumble and disappear. She’ll see Paris fall and hear her husband abandon her. She’ll beg to go to the past, to leave the present. Just leave it to me.”

* * *

Tom stood in the corner of his kitchen, explaining the steps to his best-selling garlic bread. Sabine worked the camera, motioning for him to move or adjust how he held something to make sure everything was in view of the camera. It was one of Tom’s newest hobbies: his online cooking channel. He didn’t have a set schedule for it; whenever the bakery had a slow day, he would grab some ingredients and hash out a video. Sabine would spend the rest of the day editing it, and then they uploaded it together. His channel was cute. It showed how excited Tom was about baking and was another avenue of income for the family. Adrien watched every single video and promoted it on his social media. Tom had over 30k subscribers.

The only downside of the channel was that no one was allowed downstairs when Tom and Sabine were filming. As such, Marinette and Adrien were kicked out and sent up to Marinette’s room.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Marinette asked, sitting on her side of the bed. She grabbed something from her bedside table and threw it at Adrien’s face. “Before you start whining, here’s your special pillow.”

“I don’t whine, and I don’t mope,” Adrien caught the pillow and settled in next to Marinette.

“Yeah, sure,” Marinette snorted. “You also pout, don’t forget the pouting.”

He ignored her, positioning the pillow under the small of his back. He lay down, sighing as he finally unwound. “I told you, I messed up my back or something, and this pillow is the only thing that can actually make me relax.”

“So your super-rich dad can’t afford an extra firm square pillow?” Marinette raised a skeptical eyebrow, leaning back against the headboard and starting up her laptop.

“Well, I don’t really want to ask,” Adrien confessed. “Agreste isn’t doing so well. Actually, it’s basically going down the drain. I’m sure you know--you keep up with stuff like that. Dad says he’s hemorrhaging money, and he can’t even figure out why--let alone how to fix it. Lately, I’ve been selling some of my stuff online, just to help him out. I don’t like asking him to buy stuff. It makes me feel guilty.”

It used to be hard for him to open up to her. There was always a hesitation, always the question of whether or not he should and how much he should share. Once, when he’d shared his true feelings about his mother, he’d immediately regretted it. He remembered the vague sense of unease and panic as the evening wore on, only to go home and have a mild panic attack Plagg helped him through. It wasn’t like that anymore. He’d come to trust Marinette more than anyone else. She was always on his side, stood up for him, and wasn’t afraid to make enemies for it. He didn’t try to hide anything from her anymore; actually, it felt weird when she didn’t know something about him.

“So, you can’t ask him for money because Agreste isn’t doing as well as it used to?” Marinette looked up from the laptop and set it on her bedside table. “Adrien, Agreste isn’t doing that bad. Sure, your dad and I might make comments about how it’s losing money, but you need to remember, this is an established design company worth millions of dollars. Your dad is losing thousands of dollars, but he’s still rich as hell. You live in a mansion. You pay for personal assistants and chefs, and bodyguards. You guys aren’t going broke.”

“It would still feel weird to ask him,” Adrien said, turning to his side to face Marinette more completely. A sudden thought struck him. “Wait, you said we’re not going broke?”

“Not even close,” Marinette shook her head. Adrien cursed under his breath. “What exactly did you sell?”

“Don’t tell Chloe. She got me a signed record of An Ice Group for my birthday last year. I sold it for two hundred euros.”

“Wow,” Marinette looked at him with pitying eyes. “Congratulations. You’ve earned just enough money for your dad to completely not notice.”

“That’s not helping.”

“What exactly did you think two hundred euros would do?” Marinette asked, a small smile growing on her face.

“I don’t know--something!” Adrien tried to frown her way, but she just poked him between his eyebrows.

“You’ll get wrinkles on your pretty face,” she laughed.

“This is not funny. Chloe will kill me if she finds out!”

“If Chloe finds out what?” Chloe stuck her head in the doorway of Marinette’s room. Adrien turned to look at her, heart stuttering in his chest.

“Nothing!”

Chloe glared at him, advancing into the room and closing the door behind her. “‘Nothing’ my ass, Agreste. You’re keeping secrets from me? Since when?”

“What did you want, Chloe?” Marinette asked, leaning her head on Adrien’s shoulder. “And why’d you close the door behind you?” Electric sparks radiated from Adrien’s shoulder down to his abdomen. His heart skipped another beat, then started pounding. He hoped Marinette wouldn’t notice.

“Not now.” Chloe held a hand up, like she was blocking out Marinette’s face, and stayed focused on Adrien. “I thought we agreed--no more secrets! What the hell, what aren’t you telling me?” That sounded like a question Adrien really didn’t want to answer.

“I see,” Adrien exchanged glances with Marinette and looked at Chloe in faux sympathy. “You’re here about Alya’s new girlfriend.”

“What!” Chloe shrieked, advancing on them with the speed of a poltergeist. “She’s got a _what?!”_

“Alya doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Marinette said. “But you wanted to talk about her, right?” Adrien laughed a little at Chloe’s puffy red face.

“That wasn’t funny!” She stomped her foot on the ground, frowning at him.

“It kind of was,” Adrien couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “You should see the look on your face!”

The look in Chloe’s eyes screamed, _“I’ll get you back for this.”_ Adrien stopped laughing. She wasn’t very forgiving, and she didn't forget very quickly. She’d probably do something incredibly annoying.

Chloe climbed over him and plopped between him and Marinette. Marinette scooted to the side, simply allowing her to come between them. Adrien shot Chloe a dark look, and she only grinned in response. She was so annoying.

“Are you going to get the point, or are we all just going to watch a movie together?” Marinette asked, eyebrows tensed in irritation.

“Geez, have a little patience, huh?” Chloe settling into her spot. She spotted the pillow behind Adrien’s back. “Ooh! I love that pillow!” She tried to pull it away from his back.

“Uh-uh,” Adrien smacked her hand away.

“The old man needs it for his back, apparently,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I’m not old; I’m filled with the beauty of youth.”

“Here, I have an extra pillow.” Marinette leaned over and opened the bottom drawer of her bedside table. Chloe smacked her butt. Marinette jerked,

“I told you to quit doing that.” Marinette apparently didn’t care too much because she left it alone and got the pillow out of the bedside table. Chloe grinned smugly at Adrien, who made a face back at her. Marinette shoved the pillow behind Chloe’s back. Finally, all settled, Chloe took a deep breath and started talking about her problem.

“I like Alya.” She paused and looked between Marinette and Adrien. When neither gave a reaction, her expression fell flat. “What, that’s all I get?”

“Was that supposed to be...shocking?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah, I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be giving you.”

“I haven’t told anyone yet!” Chloe said. “You could act a little surprised, or encouraging or something!”

“Wow, Chloe, I’m so surprised that you like your literal girlfriend Alya,” Marinette kept her tone flat but held her hands up and shook them like she was surprised. Adrien laughed. Chloe was not amused.

“Why do I even bother coming to you?” She sighed. “Since you refuse to be good friends and show _genuine_ surprise or encouragement, I’ll just tell you the problem.”

“It only took four years,” Adrien muttered under his breath. Chloe elbowed him in the ribs.

“I like Alya, but she doesn’t like _me,”_ Chloe said.

“Not true,” Marinette said immediately. “Have you seen the way that girl looks at you? She likes you. Just ask her out. She'll say yes.”

“No, you don’t get it,” Chloe shook her head. “Alya saw me from the beginning of the year. It’d be a stretch to even say she sees me as a friend. I need to show her how much better I’ve become.”

“You do,” Adrien pointed out. “Every time you guys talk, or you make her laugh, or she lets you play with her hair.”

“Or when you flirt, or that one time she kissed the back of your hand,” Marinette tacked on. “I’m confused--do you seriously think she doesn’t like you?”

“I don’t think, I _know_ ,” Chloe said. “Look, guys, I’m closer to Alya than you--”

“Yeah, we know,” Adrien said. “No offense, but I don’t want to be as close to her as you are.”

“Look,” Marinette said, sitting up cross-legged on the bed. “I’m not a nosy person--”

Adrien snorted. “If that’s not the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.”

Marinette aggressively tossed a pillow his way. “Shut up. No one asked for your opinion.”

Adrien swatted the pillow away. “Yeah, no one ever asks for yours, either, and yet.”

Marinette ignored him and continued. “I’m not nosy-- _shut up, Adrien_ \--but I’ll ask her tomorrow how she feels about you. Then we’ll all see that I’m right and you’re wrong, and you’ll have to call me Queen Marinette for a week.”

“Why does she have to call you Queen Marinette?”

“Don’t ask. It’s a long story,” Chloe untied her hair and relaxed back on her pillows. “So what movie are we watching?”

Marinette pulled her laptop over and started talking about all the options they had. Adrien crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly empathizing with fathers who couldn’t snuggle with their wives after their children cut between them.

* * *

Teachers supervised lunch less and less. The increase of Makara attacks wreaked havoc on the school systems. Students hadn’t had to attend almost a third of the year due to complications from the attacks. Teachers constantly had to change their curriculum and lesson plans to make sure everything was as on-track as it could be. With the added responsibility on the teachers’ shoulders came less supervision over the children.

Absolutely none of the students cared or complained. The constant life-or-death situations gave a new perspective to the families and children of the city. Bullying rates plummeted, schools became safer than ever. The irony was not lost on the national news channels, which never hesitated to bring up the statistics on slow news days.

One of the side effects of less supervision meant more guests showed up at the lunch courtyard. One of those guests was Lucas. He was cool; Adrien still kept in touch with him. They talked and sometimes went to concerts together. He came to lunch almost every day to eat with Juleka. Adrien didn’t see Juleka smile or laugh so much without Lucas around. It was like he brought out the shining, bubbly personality hidden beneath layers of uncertainty and trauma.

Unfortunately, with Lucas came Luka. For whatever reason, Luka liked to stick around whenever Lucas came. Most of the time, he sat with them and talked, but other times he would see Marinette and get completely side-tracked.

“Hey, Mari,” Luka slung his arm over her shoulder. Adrien blinked, and Luka was on the ground. Marinette stood over him, holding his arm behind his back.

“Don’t call me that!” she grit out. “We broke up. Leave me alone. How many times do I have to tell you: I don’t like you.”

Luka just laughed. “Wow, you’re really strong, Mari. But don’t worry, you’re still feminine enough for me. You don’t have to hide behind this tough facade. I’ll take you back if you just ask.”

Marinette looked like she was about to explode. Red spread from her neck up to her jaw and cheek. She was trembling, pulling up tighter on Luka’s arm. “I’m not asking for shit! I don’t want you--no one wants you! Your sister and her boyfriend shoved you off over here to get rid of you because you annoy them! I’m not worried about anything, and I’m not ‘hiding behind’ anything, either. I just want you to leave!”

Adrien gently pushed Marinette off and to the side. “Why don’t you go away?” he suggested kindly, helping Luka to his feet. “Hey, Luka. Long time to see.”

Marinette took a deep, calming breath and nodded. She walked away, stretching her arms.

“I’m losing her,” Luka shook his head, perplexed. “She walked away so easily. I thought for sure she would have stayed and yelled at me a little longer.”

An uncomfortable feeling swirled in Adrien’s chest, wrapping around his heart. It was hard staying friendly with Luka when Adrien remembered he still liked Marinette and wanted to date her.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Adrien decided that was an appropriate response. “Hey, come stand in line with me. I’ve got to get lunch.”

“Sure,” Luka nodded. “That’ll give me plenty of time to tell you where the winds of change and music have been taking me lately.”

“Can’t wait to hear all about it.”

* * *

“Hey, Alya, what do you think of Chloe?” Marinette stood in front of Alya, hands on her hips. Irritation made it hard for her to want to keep a longer conversation. She’d originally planned on sitting down with Alya and having a conversation, slowly drawing it out of her, but that plan went out the window when Luka approached her.

“What?” Alya blinked. “I mean, uh…”

“She’s cute, right?” Marinette slammed the lunch table with her palms. “And she’s smart and working on being a better person.”

“Uhh,” Alya looked somewhere behind Marinette’s shoulder. She turned to see what caught Alya’s attention. Luka stood, arms crossed, a condescending look on his face. Chloe yelled at him, body tensed and jabbing him in the chest with her pointer finger.

“That utter shit.” Marinette didn’t hesitate to leave Alya and join Chloe. There was no doubt in her mind that Luka had done something to provoke her, and Marinette wouldn’t leave Chloe on her own to deal with him.

* * *

Adrien sat, bored and doodling in his notebook. It was math class: the one class that never taught him anything and the one class whose teacher tolerated no tomfoolery.

Mr. Martin droned on about something Adrien learned last year. Adrien casually glanced behind him; just as he thought, Marinette was sound asleep. He reached back, took her thermos of coffee, and took a sip. She wouldn’t need it for a while. He held it in front of his chest, savoring the warmth of the steam.

In front of him, Alya drew little stars all over the back of Chloe’s hand. Adrien pulled out his phone, using Chloe’s head to hide it from Mr. Martin.

_Hey_

Alya’s phone buzzed. Adrien's heart skipped a beat, and he looked up. Mr. Martin either didn't notice or didn't care. He was incredibly focused on making a beautiful graph on the board. Alya discreetly pulled it behind her notebook and tapped out an answer.

_This is so boring._

_Yeah. Marinette fell asleep._

_Lol, is that why you’re talking to me?_

Ok, when she put it like that, it made Adrien feel like an ass.

_No._  
_Quick question: what do you think of Chloe?_

_Why is everyone asking me that?_ Alya turned in her seat, acting like she was stretching, and pulled a questioning look at Adrien. Chloe raised her hand, asking Mr. Martin a question. Adrien pointed to his phone, and Alya faced forward again, tapping the screen of her phone.

_Just curious, I guess. Like, do you like her?_

_What do you think?_

_Lame, Alya. You can’t answer a question with another question._  
_Come on, Chloe might have been a little mean at first, but deep down, she’s nice._

Chloe waved her hand in the air. Mr. Martin ignored her, still explaining something he’d written on the chalkboard. “Hello?” Chloe’s voice dripped with impatient attitude. Adrien couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine her expression: not happy. “I have a question!”

“And I have an answer, Ms. Bourgeois,” Mr. Martin answered evenly. “As soon as I’m done with this. Wait your turn, please.”

“No way!” Chloe argued, slamming her hand onto the table with a loud smack. “You’re the teacher, I’m the student--you can continue your lame lecture after answering my question!”

“Ms. Bourgeois, this attitude--”

“I don’t have an attitude, I have a question!” Chloe interrupted. “How did you get the derivative of **w**? Your stupid lecture made no sense.”

 _She’s nice, I swear._ Adrien typed. _Deep, deep down._

* * *

“Don’t you usually go home with Adrien?” Alya asked Marinette as the two of them walked down the steps at the entrance of their highschool. The leaves were just starting to fill into the trees again, giving the dying city a promise of new life. Alya pulled her jacket tighter around herself, enjoying the sun on her face even as the wind chilled the air.

“He has fencing today,” Marinette said, yawning. “Don’t you like to walk with Chloe?”

“She had to stay behind for detention,” Alya laughed a little. Something about the idea of prim and proud Chloe being forced to sit in detention made her laugh. She could just imagine Chloe scrolling through her phone, yelling at whoever tried to tell her to put it away. “Don’t you remember what she said to Mr. Martin?”

A stray leaf landed on Marinette’s head, and she shook it off. “We had math today?”

“Oh, right, you were asleep,” Alya shook her head. “You missed out on quite a scene. You would have been proud.”

“Hey, it’s not like I actively try to make a big thing, but Lila is just such a bitch she fills every little thing with drama and loves the attention.”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started on Lila,” Alya said. The scene was still fresh in her mind. Her heart still thudded when she remembered it. It was different to hear about old racist people via a blog post. Seeing a classmate, her same age, say such disgusting things like a fact was mindblowing. “I still can’t get over what she said to you--to your face!” And who knew what else Lila thought? The class only heard what she’d said; there was a high chance she had more on her mind, which she hadn’t shared out loud.

Marinette’s face soured. “Chloe and I have been telling everyone there’s something off about her.” She blinked like she remembered something. “Hey, wait. Seriously, what do you think of Chloe?”

Alya groaned and rolled her eyes. “Why are you and Adrien so focused on this today? Like, girl, what’s up?”

“You can’t even get mad, Ms. Reporter,” Marinette snorted. “We’re just worried, I guess. Chloe comes off tough, but she’s not. She really likes you, and if you’re just messing around with her feelings, you and I would need to have a talk.”

Alya’d been at Nino’s party. She’d seen how Mylene had left. She wanted no part of any sort of talk with Marinette.

“I’m not that type of person,” Alya said, mildly irritated that Adrien and Marinette thought so little of her that they couldn’t trust her not to be an absolute jerk. “I don’t string people along. I’m not sure if I like her like that yet, but if I realize I don’t, I swear I’ll tell her.”

“Be gentle with her,” Marinette sighed. “She makes it so easy to view her as harsh and emotionless, but she’s sensitive. She’s new to the whole ‘relationships with normal people’ thing. Just be patient with her.”

Alya didn’t need Marinette to tell her any of this. She knew exactly how insecure and lost Chloe could be; she’d been there, felt that. Despite the strong front Chloe put up, Alya knew there was a kind, hesitant girl underneath. More than others, Alya could read through the harsh words to comprehend the actual intention beneath. Marinette didn’t need to say any of this; if anything, Alya should be having this conversation with everyone else in the class.

A window burst open on the second floor of the school. Alya and Marinette watched together in shock as Chloe tried to jump out of it, only held back by a red-faced and furious teacher.

“Get back inside, Chloe!” the teacher yelled. “Just put your phone away!” Alya pulled out her phone and started recording. She wasn’t the only one.

“No way, you old hag!” Chloe pulled on a branch close to the window, trying to dislodge the teacher from around her waist. “Just because you’re a lost cause doesn’t mean Butler Jean is!”

“Make the dating profile later!” The teacher turned away, calling behind her for reinforcements.

“No! He’s stupid and needs me! I need to get him dating as soon as possible!” Chloe screeched as the teacher and her friends succeeded in getting Chloe back inside.

“What?” Marinette turned and looked at Alya. “Do you have any idea what that was about?”

Alya took great pleasure in translating everything for Marinette. Maybe Alya didn’t live with her, but she understood her more than Marinette ever could. Something about that knowledge warmed Alya’s heart, and a special feeling spread through her.

“Chloe’s making a dating profile for Jean. I think he used to be her old butler or something,”

“He likes tree-shaped cookies,” Marinette added.

“Yeah, him. He’s divorced, and Chloe’s been trying to get him into the dating scene for a while. She promised him she’d make him a dating profile by three o’clock today. She’s going to be stuck in detention until four. I think she just wanted to get it set up by the time she told Jean.”

“Huh,” Marinette nodded, impressed, then looked back at the window. “I can’t believe she tried to jump out of the building.”

* * *

Late that night, Alya answered Chloe’s call.

“Hey,” she greeted, throwing back the covers and slipping into bed. “What’s up?”

“Everyone is annoying me today,” Chloe complained. “The school called Mrs. Cheng for my ‘unruly behavior,’ and she was randomly furious with me-- _even though I told her it was for Butler Jean_ \--anyway, she was yelling at me. Adrien came over and took up all of Marinette’s time, so I was stuck third-wheeling them or third-wheeling the parents.” Chloe sighed dramatically, and Alya could picture her flopping backward onto her bed. “The universe hates me. That’s the only possible explanation.”

“Or Sabine is worried that you yelled at a teacher and then tried to jump out of the building,” Alya giggled.

“Yeah, sure,” Chloe dismissed easily. “But that’s not even all! Before they holed up in Marinette’s room, she and Adrien kept giving me these weird glances. Like, come on, either say something or shut up, you know?” Chloe clicked her tongue and continued to rant. “In other news, I read this article earlier today, and it pissed me off. Did you know there are people out there who actually hate poetry and find it a dying art form?”

“Wait, what!” Alya exclaimed. “Who? Poetry is beautiful! It can convey feelings and emotions deeper than any other medium, in my opinion. Like, the poetry-specific techniques are specifically there for expressing feelings and relating to as wide of an audience as possible!”

“I know, right!” Alya could hear Chloe sit up and pace in excitement. She grinned to herself. Chloe was so cute. “I knew you’d understand why this is such a travesty! No one else in the class would understand.” A warm, happy sensation crawled up Alya’s spine. Chloe could only talk to her about these things; she knew only Alya would understand. It was like their private world, which no one else was privy to. Chloe continued: “Ugh, Adrien would probably do a stupid chuckle and say that the article was right. Like, hello? Are you stupid, or what?” Chloe continued, talking about the article and her own views on poetry.

Alya turned on her side, surprising herself by how excited she was to interrupt Chloe and input her own opinion. Reporters were listeners and observers, and Alya took that to heart. She liked getting people to open up about themselves and getting all sorts of stories from them. It was easy for her to get people talking and then sit back and listen. Alya had been tossed from school to school so often in her life, she didn’t like putting in the effort to have someone get to know her. She was content to sit back, observe, then move on.

But with Chloe, things were different. Her perspective was so unique, and so unapologetically _Chloe_ that Alya found herself excited to share herself and hear what she had to say. Even if it was just an imagined conversation between the two of them, Alya felt the excited flutters in her stomach.

When she’d first arrived at Francois-Dupont Highschool, she’d thought little of Chloe. She’d been a brat who threw a tantrum when things didn’t go her way and gave little care to anyone but herself. Or, Alya had perceived her that way. As the weeks compiled into months, Chloe started changing.

She’d dropped Sabrina, opened herself up to loneliness and ridicule as she’d gone and privately apologized to everyone she’d wronged. Some people had forgiven her, like Kim. Others, namely Nathaniel, didn’t. Chloe had understood. She now left people alone unless she had a personal problem with them. Through it all, she’d stayed true to herself, not changing herself for others but instead improving for herself. Alya admired her immensely for that.

Alya and Chloe kept talking on the phone for hours. They could have kept talking all night if her dad didn’t come in and tell her to keep it down. She was keeping the entire household awake, cut the call already.

“I have to go,” Alya slurred, her eyelids unable to open anymore.

“Alright,” Chloe yawned on the other end of the line. “See you tomorrow. Kiss goodnight.”

“Kiss goodnight,” Alya replied, then waited for Chloe to end the call. She threw her phone on her bedside table and covered her aching eyes with the back of her hand. A smile spread across her mouth. She’d just finished talking to Chloe, but she already missed her. As long as there was no AkuMakara attack tonight, she’d be able to see Chloe the next day. Alya couldn’t wait.


End file.
